NieR Automata - Invisible Dreams
by MyNameisLennyKR
Summary: Considering that all three remaining YoRHa androids were left alive after their pods attained sentience, they were given a chance to live once again. With humanity truly extinct as they think, their only choice forward now, is to initiate a dialogue with the machines and try to reach an agreement. But with their bloody history, how could two combat androids and a Scanner do it?
1. Prologue & Servitum

"Servitum"

A few technical support units, called as pods in short, fly as a group in the sky, carrying small things like a hand that is gloved and a few chips. The 120th century was a place of ruin… a battlefield between machine and android lifeforms. For most of YoRHa, the enhanced android faction, they first thought that humanity still lived, only to be hidden to the truth that humanity had already gone extinct. The main outpost was destroyed by a single logic virus stream, and all that was left, is dishing out a remaining conflict between the side of the rampant and more organized machines. They were smarter… more perceptive… more knowledgable. But they also knew the truth about YoRHa.

The pods were going to separate locations in the City Ruins, with most going to two bodies belonging to formerly living YoRHa units, a male and a female both wearing black blindfolds and having attire machine its color. There was also a separate body… another YoRHa unit having long hair… also being visited by a pod and being given chips while being maintained. While all this happened, a white blouse-wearing woman with black stockings looked at the events in different locations. She fixed her glasses, finding the sight enjoyable.

She smiles a little and mutters to herself. "The three of you have gone through so much. It's only deserving that there should be a chance all of you live. I hope…" She frowns to herself. "…that this time and place would never cease to exist."

_Everything that lives, is designed to end… or so the original quote says from an android who seemed confused of her past. I can't blame her. She didn't know who she was talking about, and she'll know things later on..._

_My name is Accord. I observe singularities in the timeline. Though given the recent turn of events, my priority is slowly changing. The 120th century is never the same as the years before… because there are things impossible in the past, that can be achieved at this very time._

_I'm still here to observe and record, though I know it will change. I'm not someone perfect. I do this to protect all timelines from destruction… And… As much as I want to say that it all goes well… I would be lying. Bigger things have started to go into play._

Accord clenches a fist as she looks at what was happening… the android couple was awakening after being repaired by the pods. She went to follow the pods to see where they'd go. As what she finds out later on, the pods go so far away just before their hover in flight has failed. She senses internal programs failing in their systems. She sighs at this, knowing what has happened. '_So you protected yourselves from destroying your friends… I admire your courage…_'

_Life will never be the same for these three. I'm looking for allies. And while I'm not sure that these three can fit in, I know that they'll play a good role nonetheless. A war is coming._

Accord nods to herself and walks off, later disappearing as eyes would look away after briefly spotting her, only to find the figure gone when they looked back.

_More than ever… I have to be ready for her._

Opening her eyes quickly, A2 sits up from the window sill. Her vision was restored as well as her basic senses. And so far, nothing was out of place from her body. Her diagnostics so far only showed some minor scratches, but nothing new from her usual readings before…

…before the ark went down with her. '_I remember…_' She thought of this and looked around. She seemed to be near one edge of land where the horizon of water was visible to her. She then examines herself and looked at her left hand. She did have some revealing clothing, but she's at least looking in one piece. "The pods… They…"

**_A2 - _**_I didn't need to speak. I've seen a few images of what they were doing, breaking out of their own programs themselves and achieving sentience. The likes of androids have the ability to hack, but for them to hack their own program and break out just to be free? They must have considered all possibilities. My memories should have been deleted instead… since we're truly without power now. YoRHa is finished and it should have ended with the three of us. It was then I had a feeling… the pods have their own programmed deaths in the case of a data salvage, and a self-destruct order would come if the data salvage is completed. 042… 143… They're gone..._

A2 then stepped off the window sill and stepped onto the floor, letting her heels step on the surface. Noticing that her long hair was around, she assumed the body she's in was an old body of hers put back together. This was probably for the best… to give a distinction she's not 2B. '_I don't care anymore. I'd rather live free._' She sees a nearby set of clothes that were abandoned. Assuming that the building ruins were used, some androids that were prudent with tasks must have either left them there, or discarded them in a hurry. She then approached the clothing and began to tear a section of cloth off them. She then began to tie her hair down, making what she seems to know as a ponytail at the back of her head.

Then A2's hearing was picking up audio, coming from a familiar male voice from a distance. "_I don't know about this… I'm picking up… another android?_"

A female replied next, sounding like A2's voice but different in its own distinctions. "_Are you sure?_"

"_Yeah. I'm pretty sure._" The male responded, and A2 believes this was indeed the android designated 9S.

With A2 finished in getting herself checked and assuring her silver-haired ponytail hair was tightly knit, she looks into the land where building ruins and trees are side by side. She then spots at a distance of two YoRHa androids without their blind covers, usually with black attire covered by some building ruins. "They have to listen to themselves," she muttered. '_Long range communication with any unit is impossible for now, but those two I can reach from here._' As soon as her thoughts finished, she used her ability to call. And as soon as one of the androids answered, A2 spoke first. "I had a feeling you'd make it… just not how I thought."

9S didn't answer from the other line completely. He was covered by the building ruins that had a good view from a nearby tall building. Beside him was 2B, who didn't know who he was talking to. Eventually, he came clean and replied. "You're the last person I had in mind of talking to me. Where are the pods?"

2B who was right beside him replied first. "I thought the pods were-"

"Well I don't believe it."

"LISTEN TO YOURSELF." 2B said it with a firm voice. "Let me speak to her. I have a good guess of who it is." She only received a nod from 9S before she got his call connected to her interface. "A2, I'm calling it in… and I'd rather drop our differences here and now. It's just the three of us."

"2B?!" 9S protests.

"_Understood._" A2 replied on the other line, making both androids hear it. "_We may as well pick up where we left off._"

As soon as the communication line was cut in conclusion, 9S grits his teeth and protests at 2B. "Maybe you didn't remember that she killed you off! I still don't trust her! Not after what she's done."

2B glares at 9S, and makes a fist with her hand before she swings it to hit a wall and making a hole through since it was weakened after all its time standing. "No. We're dropping it. Me. You. The data of humanity exists but humanity itself is no longer physically existent… not anymore. If we don't accept that and let bad blood grow, we won't be able to gather ourselves right. They're what remains of our past. You told me yourself, 9S. A2 saved you, destroyed the only weapon that could destroy the data. I'd rather live with that and completely forget she's a fugitive." She then moves past him and stops at a corner, seeing A2 coming over to where they should be. Looking back at her friend, she continues to speak. "The situation's changed, Nines. We're survivors."

9S continues to get surprises from 2B, a combat android, while he was only a scanner android, though efficient in combat and functions differently. "We'll see what we can get from her. I suggest you lead this, 2B. I'm not going to talk to her."

2B nods and leaves her cover, with 9S behind her. Seeing A2 stop beside another neighboring building ruin, 2B was casual as she approached the experimental YoRHa unit herself now without fear between the two of them. And expecting 9S to follow her, 2B would declare A2 to be an ally instead of an enemy. And stopping just a few feet away from her, she spoke up. "I killed some of my own. The whole time… the machines were already one step ahead."

"The virus," A2 replied. "Did you… hold any feelings of contempt against me?"

"I wasn't sure back then." 2B then looked at 9S, then back to A2. "But I am now."

A2 observed 9S who was looking away from her. "Do you want to keep sulking to yourself like this?"

"Give him time," 2B said. "Some shared memories came from you… and I've been processing it for a while. I didn't really think that 9S would be able to see through my true purpose. Android killer. No wonder it felt so familiar."

"2B." A2 called out with a firm tone and glared at 2B. "That's enough. I think we've all had it with the bullshit we've all gone through."

2B snorts. "Everything has changed. The machines have gotten so far within their sentience. They succeeded in becoming human themselves and have their own good and evil placed within them."

"They're saturated. So in other words… The Terminals are in a feud." A2 continued the statement and kept speaking. "The true goal the three of us should accomplish is to remedy the situation... probably give our best to convince the machines who are still left in the planet, those still in the network, to come to their senses and stop being used."

"Considering YoRHa is no longer around, they should get more loosened." 9S replies out of the blue, surprising the two female androids but he kept going. "I briefly saw… When I was getting invaded by the virus and… saved by A2… I saw some instructions come in. I wasn't sure, but it's at least clear. If the Ark itself collapses, they're to make another attempt at invading the human data on the moon. If it becomes effectively theirs, it's over. And I thought they just wanted to leave this world instead."

"But we don't know what their true intention is, despite their plans," 2B said. "Destroying the Bunker was only step one."

"Well?" A2 asked, seeing that 2B was thinking of a plan.

And 2B frowns. "A2… I don't have the right to take this from you. You saw through YoRHa. Not me."

"I saw through their lies while casualties are made, and that's different from what you've been through. Look… You're as much as responsible for what remains for androids. The memories you have with 9S are the most precious. I had only my squad mates from back then at the Pearl Harbor descent. It doesn't really compare to you two. So… I want you to command me. Consider me under your arsenal." A2 said this while looking at 9S. "There's no choice to be made."

2B looks at 9S who wanted to try and protest A2's suggestion. But 2B had other plans. "9S, she makes a point. I'm probably the more stable leader than she is."

A2 groans quiet and nods. She runs towards a direction to a forested area, leaving 2B and 9S to themselves.

And 9S began to speak up to 2B. "So… Attack the machines, or dialogue?"

"We gotta find more information, but we still have to be careful. If they could hack me again, there's no way I would completely counter. We're without pods now, 9S. So the best thing we must do… is survive."

"Humanity's complicated history… it's brought us to this, hasn't it?"

"This used to be a magical land. Now it's full of abominations." She looks at 9S and stares to his eyes for a while before speaking again. "And we're a part of them." 2B then looks forward and starts to follow the path A2 took. She wasn't sure at first, but she sensed 9S really did follow her, and he'd do that for as long as she's alive.

* * *

_Author's Note **BEGIN**:_

_So I decided to rewrite and make sure that the other chapters maintain a clean format! I posted at the reddit about my plans towards this fanfiction and I've heard no comments yet as of this last update. The other chapters will be getting a format rewrite, so expect a cleaner piece of work!_

_If this is your first time seeing this chapter, then welcome to the fanfiction! You'll be getting yourself a nice dose of more NieR: Automata than Drakengard._

_You should know that I'm open for reviews! If you like to leave one to see how I've been doing, it would be a great help! But… Expect me to keep this fanfiction going no matter how harsh the review is. I double-check and triple-check my own works to make sure it lives up to nice fanfiction standards._

_I won't delay you guys any further! Here's Chapter 1, so enjoy!_

**_END_**_… Author's Note._

_Chapter **BEGIN**:_

**_2B – _**_Normally when faced with challenges, I relay information that I have and request for more. And now without a central command structure, and a piece of technical support by my side, I realized that some part of my purpose for living is removed. It felt new to me, as I'm sure also felt new to 9S._

_Now I'm leading both A2 and 9S through a world of uncertainty. The machine life forms are divided, between those who want to be human and work harmoniously with androids who are left from the Resistance, and those who want to eradicate humanity's only remaining memories. I feel compelled to still fight and protect our past, but isn't it slowly changing our enemy too? I had to ask A2 for more information…_

A2 scouted out and led the formation into a short clearing in the forested area where they were a few buildings in ruin meant for recreation in the past. While 9S looking into another area, she noticed 2B was closer to her and followed from behind. "I promise I'm not leading us to an ambush."

"I'm not even distrusting you at all… even with what happened… between you two." 2B looked away at first, but she eventually was in eye contact with A2 again. "9S… He opened up… about his emotions towards you. All the pain and anger. Without me killing him, of course the only thing guiding him was his anger, and the suffering he'd take by seeing my corpse. Worse… I was responsible for it. I made him feel that way from the beginning."

"Hey. You requested my help."

"…because I didn't want him to see me… succumb to a machine's virus… and laugh while I'm under a terrifying fate like it's just another day. No. I turned away from it as soon as I'm free from the grasp of the Bunker... after it was destroyed. Maybe I felt the freedom I was still granted only for a short time."

"...only to later lose it to a virus which you didn't fully want." A2 continued it and snorted. "His reaction was premature, but I've already accepted that. He's just emotional. Really emotional."

"He's always been different from every other model, A2. I think he's only realizing that he needs to rethink what he feels."

"Well... is he improving?"

"He's... getting there." 2B frowns. "So... The Resistance isn't mostly finished. Some camps were attacked and taken down, but they're still hanging on."

"You think Anemone is still out there somewhere. I agree. She's quite resilient, really. And she's better in adapting to these situations than we do. We rely in on a central protocol structure most of the time. But the Resistance interacts with everything on a completely different level here on Earth. I wouldn't be surprised if-" A2 stopped walking immediately as she saw something peculiar. Just outside the connecting building ruins, she's able to spot a ruined compound nearby. "You two don't explore so much with your missions, and I never seen this place before."

2B noticed the compound and was realizing what A2 meant. "Nines and I are just around to the letter. So yes... I don't know this either."

"Great…" A2 then started to walk towards the compound, before she started to contact 9S. "You better regroup with us. An unexplored compound just caught our eye."

9S was silent for a little while at first, but responded. "_I'm on my way._"

2B noticed 9S responded with uncertainty as she followed A2. '_I know you have your doubts, Nines. I hope you get over this._' That was in her mind as she was behind A2 as they were entering the compound. Looking around, she noticed there were ruined arches used as small housing units. "Was this compound once a camp?"

"It looks like it… Ugh… I wish the pods were around right about now. But if you ask what I think, I'd say this was once a makeshift clinic, at least in a few spots in the compound. One thing I noticed too… This must have been a stronghold before it was taken over. And based on how these buildings were originally built, they were originally-"

"...military." 9S said that as he got to accompany the two from behind. "Makes sense, protecting civilians meant they have to be in a strong holdout point."

2B analyzed what's left of the arch ruins. "I'm seeing some connectors to these arches. A2?"

"Yeah. I see them too. They're not just tents."

"On the sizes of the arches, there could have been hangars here instead of smaller structures. This compound is bigger than how it looks from the outside." 2B said that just before the three encountered a central building ruin in the compound. "This looks promising though."

9S groans. "I just completed some updates over this area. I might not be a pod, but I got my uses enough. Apparently, this compound, used to be a military outpost. Seems the city was under siege and this outpost remained standing after all this time. The humans back then called this outpost Forward Operating Base Designation Servitum. Wait... Heads up. Also says that there's an administrative office here that seals up certain equipment... related to suspended animation."

A2 looked at 9S and 2B followed suit. "You're sure?"

"That's what it says. I was lucky in getting this data in way before I got back out in the field again. YoRHa was clearly covering up a few things about Earth's true standing when the aliens were succeeding in taking this planet over. If this information is accurate, that office is several floors down in that main building." 9S points to the same central building ruin. "A lift shaft should take us down there. The rest of the data regarding everything I've told you ends beyond that shaft. Only that room would make sense and the building's general structure."

"Then that's where we need to go," A2 said as she looked at 2B. "2B?"

2B nods. "You don't need to tell me. We're going in. Take point, A2." And she receives a nod from A2 before the experimental android took point of the formation. 2B followed and 9S followed her. And just as A2 went into the building to scout, 2B then spoke up. "Nines... You should tell me."

9S then spoke, anticipating 2B would open up on that subject. "Tell me what?"

"When are you going to drop your grudge?" 2B said this as she entered the building together with 9S while activating their enhanced vision to see in darkened areas. "Think about it, Nines. You got that much closer to her, though not in forms of companionship. You were only angered when I was killed. I had my reasons. That virus was killing me, just as it should have if she let you be corrupted. You might have hated her up to her death, so that doesn't give you a right to hate her now."

"But she killed you, 2B. Or maybe you just don't value life anymore?" 9S said that and must have ticked a nerve in 2B, making the female combat android suddenly dash to him and punch him at his torso. 9S winced and groaned in pain, getting to one knee and feeling the spot where he was punched. "2B...? What was that for...?"

2B glared at 9S. "You really didn't learn to get over yourself... even if you're a high-end model... even if you're so predictable in learning the truth. It gets annoying if this keeps going. Maybe I just won't be motivated to let you live... really serving my purpose in killing you in around 50 times, and adding another incident in my log." She gripped his uniform collar and forced him to stand, still gripping it and showed her rage. "If you weren't so sensitive and went after A2, maybe I should have seen this side of you more. I guess my mistake hangs right there. But this time I know. You've cared for me for so many times, and you didn't care how you ended up yourself."

"I LOVED YOU!" 9S said it and noticed 2B winced at him. "I didn't know what to do with those emotions... But..."

2B unexpectedly lets go of 9S, while she smiles at him. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear those words."

"Then-!" 9S tried to speak, but a finger from 2B stopped him from moving his lips. It wasn't forced, but she was signaling him to be silent.

"All in the right time, Nines. At least I wasn't wrong with my emotional response on you, too. For the meantime..." 2B changed the subject and used her short range comms to make contact. "A2, found the lift shaft?"

"_Yeah, I found it. It extends all the way down underground. Looks like 9S was right, but we don't know exactly what is down there. You better get over here, quick._" A2 sounded urgent and it gave 2B and 9S to move on immediately. And as they arrived at A2's position, the two noticed the number of decommissioned machines next to A2 and the lift shaft without its door. "I had to deal with them before I got here. It's not something I'd worry about."

"You should have told us!" 2B gently pushed A2's shoulder to express her concern. "We're trying to survive and most of our systems are inoperable at this time. Plus... we don't have our pods. Best you don't get too reckless. Or did you want to actually die?"

A2 sighs and looks at the decommissioned machines. "I don't have a death wish. But it's not like I don't have any choice but defend myself. And... Don't think I couldn't completely understand why you two won't join me here earlier." A2 chuckled at the two. "My guess is already accurate enough that I shouldn't tell you about it."

9S sighs then inspects the elevator entrance, looking through the entryway and down to see how deep the shaft is. "If the structure of this building is accurate, this lift was originally designed to travel down from here, up to a maximum underground floor of Level Sub 120. Whatever this kind of lift is and when this came from, it was certainly designed to resist movement pressure and could have been an advanced lift to protect its passengers, unlike the ones used in the 21st century."

"In any case, we should still climb down." 2B said this as she looked from the entry and down on the lift shaft. "Whatever secrets are held... It's all down there. I'll take point from here."

"Copy," A2 replied.

"I'm sure the machines don't have enough of a gut to get down there without destroying themselves. Let's go." 2B didn't hesitate and ran in, before reaching the other end of the entryway as she hanged on to the metallic grills of the long downward shaft. She temporarily lets go and she descends, before using her feet and hands to attach, while using her legs to absorb and maintain her next grip. As she went down continuously, A2 and 9S followed suit with her technique.

The three androids were able to find themselves right at the bottom, where 2B was able to get to the unopened lift door of Floor Sub 120. A2 soon got down there, not landing on the ruined elevator and some decommissioned machines. Jumping to the doorway, A2 assists 2B in opening the door on opposite sides of each other. 9S only just arrived just as the two other YoRHa androids were able to open the door.

And 9S immediately saw there was a floating machine sphere, followed by others each with glowing emitter lights red in color. "Crap... Spheres!" He then jumps in through the opened doorway of Level Sub 120 while equipping his light attack sword, smashing through the first sphere he saw and held his blade with both hands. As he went for his second target and unleashed a combo with his weapon, A2 and 2B soon followed suit.

It took only a minute, with 2B releasing a last combination of light attack slashes with kicks just before the last hostile exploded after being severely damaged. Sheathing her blade at her back to hover, she declared: "Clear," which she said as she looked at A2 and 9S. "We're blind here, so let's try to keep together. Splitting up is not a good option."

"Agreed," A2 said, sheathing her light attack sword at her back as it hovers next to her. "They're all low level machines. Took us a while, but I'm sure they only boasted the numbers, not their skill."

9S then made a suggestion. "2B, let's stick closer together. I might not have an idea how to navigate, but I at least know where the room is located. Feels weird... trying to follow only a compass."

"Better than anything," 2B said it just before she started to move. "Let's go." She moved faster just as 9S was beside her and A2 followed from behind.

It took the three several minutes navigating the rooms. There were laboratories that experimented on biological matter, and others that were testing nanotechnology applications. The nanotechnology startled A2 for a bit, since it made her realize that humanity should have had the chance to enhance their weaponry or defenses in the case of an attack. Question is... How long had it started to exist?

They didn't encounter any other machines until they finally come across a sealed door, disguised to just be an ordinary door at the end of a corridor. Then A2 came forward. "If you allow me..." She said it casually before equipping a heavy bladed two-handed sword, designed to cut down medium-sized opponents.

2B looked at the door and was thinking of the material it used. She then looked at A2. "Execute."

A2 grunted, holding her heavy blade and lifting the hilt up. Swinging it down, the door is halved and pushed into the room, knocking it off its blast hinges. "It's open." As A2 said that, 2B nods at her. A2 proceeds inside with her weapon drawn and she was immediately surprised. "Wait-!" She stopped speaking just as 2B and 9S opened their mouths in surprise, looking around the office. They were all seeing the same thing: Capsules. Cryostasis capsules. And there were four of them as she observed. "What... is this...?"

9S approached one of the capsules and touched it. There was cold air forming from inside of the glass that he couldn't see unless he focuses his attention toward the occupant of the capsule he's looking at. And he could see that there's a female... most probably a human. "Impossible... Are they... alive?"

2B was looking at other capsules around her, then looked back at 9S, reading his emotion. She was eventually starting to share his sentiment. "We were lied to… And yet…

"I can be angered and saddened at all things as we fight to save humanity... but this changes everything, seeing we're with what's left of humanity now..."

"Cryostasis?" A2 said it as she puts her heavy blade to hover at her back as it follows her movements. "I thought they tried it and still failed to produce significant results."

"Probably lies mixed up with the fact a surviving population evacuated to the moon," 9S remarked. "All the records we've been known to have possessed were partially doctored, after all."

"And to think we've all come here out of discovering this with our eyes," A2 said it and chuckled while shaking her head. "Oh shit… This is real. Wait… You think this isn't all made by machines, 2B?"

2B was then concerned of A2, who seems to think that the fact of humans inside capsules, was nothing more than just a trick. "About your concern… If this were a ploy the machines are making just to eliminate the last of YoRHa, they would have protected it more as they're almost unending now."

"So your plan..." A2 said as she gave 2B a serious look. "Open them?"

"Open them."

"Wait!" 9S protested. "You two sure we won't kill them?! Unless we find the controls to their capsules, I suggest we don't force them open."

"Fair point," A2 said. "I don't see any of the controls on the capsules. Do any of you…?"

Silence fell in the room as the androids' intentions were clear.

"_I can help with that,_" a female voice came into the room. And a holographic image made from the room's projectors was forming from its feet, up to its legs, torso, chest, and head. The three androids saw a young woman with black hair, appearing in her 20's in a red sleeveless dress with a length of up to her thighs. "I am the Autonomous Light Intelligence Coefficient Entity holographic image. You may all... call me ALICE."

**_END_**_… Chapter 1._


	2. The past greater than knowledge

"The past greater than knowledge"

_Chapter **BEGIN**:_

A2 only had to look at the holographic image of ALICE and identify that the three androids including herself, were seeing a result of artificial intelligence. "An AI. Just how stable, is the question."

ALICE smirks at the silver-hair ponytailed android. "My, my. You already forget your place, android." And eventually, that same android was surprised. "I don't mind. From the beginning, those who put up the models to militarize androids into a fighting force was already discussed 6000 years ago. At first, it was dropped. But then, those types had to be made during the invasion and spread of the machines."

2B then spoke up next, curious of something. "I wanted to ask, since you're already starting to give us some information. From what year is your model of AI?"

"I was manufactured, and then put into service later in 4987 AD. I was a prime model and was continuously being modified. And I kept growing too. It had to be that way and I had to keep learning all I could. I took more data than all of what occupants of Earth combined in reading and usage. You could say I'm the world's darling… until the mass production of service androids. I knew at one point it would all end and my real trials begin." ALICE sighs, then looks at the male android. "Don't YOU have anything to ask?"

"Yeah," 9S replied. "The occupants of the capsules. Are they actually human?"

"…" ALICE frowned at the question. "Though they are the pinnacle of humanity, they're certainly the last ones. Those cryostasis capsules were continuously being improved and built to last to thousands of years. They're complete exceptions to the Project Gestalt procedures. And it's something to behold. And ever since humanity had been struggling to find ways to keep making Project Gestalt all the more reason to exist… there were only setbacks. Strange… Genetics was the main issue facing the project. Separating body and soul was a success, but the process can never be replicated accurately. Even with the eradication of the White Chlorination Syndrome later on, humanity can't escape its fate. And these four capsules were the only ones engaged in a cryostasis protocol ever since problems of the WCS have arisen to newer heights. These four capsules were engaged since 2047. Three augmented military servicemen and the daughter of a corporation CEO who was opening Project Gestalt as an additional investment since the betterment of humankind was the goal."

2B shook her head. "These pods were always maintained for so long, even when the invasion from the aliens began?"

"That's right. The capsules were at its highest material maintenance at its time, certainly ready to really last long. Humanity is truly extinct in 4198. These four subjects, are the last of the pure humans, not included in Project Gestalt, who are still in cryostasis up to now. They didn't even know aliens invaded and forced the planet into a war against the machines… much less experience the truth of the extinction of humanity."

A2 hummed in curiosity. "And they ended up in some bureaucrat's office. This is what it seemed like."

"The four subjects are symbolized as idols. The men who believed in their long awaited and secured arrival don't believe it was their time to be released yet. And it's blown over especially until the androids defending the Earth were the last of Earth's true occupants." ALICE sighs. "In short, all the androids produced in proxy are the protectors of Earth, even with the sense of humanity being extinct comes as fact. That's all I'm able to get. I stopped receiving updates after 6000, therefore putting me in energy reserve mode. Huh. Who knew I could get visitors in the 120th century?" ALICE asked herself that loudly, smiling at the three androids. "Now that you three are here, I'm sure I can finally be liberated… either by erasure, me staying behind, or by taking me with you. My nano sensors are able to point out that your advanced memory enhancements as androids allow me to exist within you. So much data to occupy your storage. Hm… Maybe that wouldn't be the best if you wanted to incorporate more functionality, would it?"

The three androids were deciding amongst themselves and thought about this. But A2 spoke up earlier than the other two. "We only need to get the four occupants out of the capsules. Then we'll decide on what about how we could make use of you."

"I guess that's fine with me. They need to see a familiar face when they wake up too. So I guess there's nothing to stop us from proceeding. I'm unlocking the capsules and attempting to open them… now." ALICE said it just before the capsules started to release cold smoke.

9S looked around. All the capsules seem to appear to do the same thing. "Vents?"

"Already on it." ALICE said it just as the room's ventilation system started to work. The busted entryway however provided an outlet for the cold air as well, making it easier for the room to maintain current room temperature. "Temperature readings rising from all subjects. Blowing secondary locks open. Now." A brief moment of more cold air leaving the capsules had happened before the cold air was dissipating a minute later. "Temperature continues to rise… Neural pathways re-established. Brainwave movement initiated. They're starting to slowly come out of their suspended animation."

2B walked close to A2 as both of them were observing ALICE fulfill functions. "Not something to be compared to our Pods, but… It's still an efficient way to make use of technology."

A2 narrowed her eyes at ALICE who kept managing to wake the subjects via procedure. "She might not be an ordinary AI. Our android consciousness might seem different from her, but something tells me she's got more to tell us. I'm sensing something… familiar. I can't describe it, but it's somewhere close to consciousness."

"You think she's sentient like us?" 9S joined in the conversation. "I wouldn't be surprised of it too. The tone wasn't really meant to be robotic either. And some of the mannerisms? I think it's like we're talking to another android… or something."

ALICE, from her eyes closed, had opened her eyes as the capsules were beginning to open, with one side of the covering being slid to the left while it was magnetically hinged. "The four subjects are still sedated. Give them time before they start to move their eyes. I'll tell you who they are, or do you want to hear it from them by yourselves?"

9S examined the four subjects. "Three men and one female… Not sure how they're gonna react when they find out they woke up way into the future than how they're expecting. Maybe it's best we hear from them instead."

ALICE nods. "You're an interesting bunch. Let me know if you need information from me. They're about to wake up now." She then fades from the room and disappears completely.

The girl was the first to start moving her eyes, though closed, then her eyebrows. And eventually she opened her eyes, slowly and surely, as she regains her eyesight in steps, by clearing out the blur from her vision and eventually recognizing the shapes that appear to symbolize the same surroundings she had before she fell asleep. "Where… am I?"

And in one part of the world where forests are in a major part of the area, a small portal opens from above the trees. A humanoid was shot out of the portal and that person hits the trees at high speed, a white streak made out of the clothing. And as the figure slowed down, hitting more trees and branches, white long hair would be visible to anyone who sees. And the fact of a sword travelling to land roughly down to the lands below would later stab soil near a tree's base. Meanwhile the, figure hits a small group of small-legged biped machine life forms and destroy them easily on the impact of the figure. The body was finally stopped at low altitude, hitting a castle ruin which stopped dead right there.

As the woman in her white clothing and pale skin was starting to remember things, she grits her teeth and begins to get on her feet. "No… What is this…?!" She groans as she was looking with her bright red eyes, scanning her surroundings. "A forest…? Wait… What do I remember…?" She closes her eyes and memories soon come back to her. She opens them, remembering everything… creation of her five sisters, and her distinct journey to kill them all, and let the Black Flower grow, taking her life. Her dragon finishes the flower, and she was set to the spirit world. "I don't understand… So what the Overseer said-"

She remembered a memory of herself looking towards man with light behind him, thus covering his shadowy figure. He had glasses on and he adjusted them as it was pointed at her. "_Rose… Let me be frank,_" he said.

"So you've known." Rose replied. "I go by Zero… before it all ended."

"_Yes. I've seen the reports, and heard the recordings. You can't deny that you've gone through quite an ordeal… all starting from when you realize the true motives of the Black Flower. You tried to remove it, but you only made it defend itself more, thus making five sisters, each fragmented from your personality. And then… you killed them, let the flower grow, and let yourself be destroyed by a dragon. Inevitable fate that brought you this far, don't you think?_"

Rose narrowed her eyes at him. "Overseer… Have you known? Accord was trying to get everything."

"_And I have it on hand. You're not allowed to rest. Not yet. History had unfolded ever since you were sent to the spirit world. Magic was going loose in the planet, and before you know it… It was destroying humanity in Earth slowly, if not beheading it._"

Gritting her teeth, she spoke up, firm in her tone. "And what do you expect? I let them go and do as they please? Let the flower take them and have them run the show?! I was the cause of this. I liked the old life before I was turned into an Intoner. I know, that even if the Flower got into me in the first place, I would try to bear it. Instead… I tried to remove it, and it created my sisters. I tried to get along with them but… something changed."

Overseer chuckled. "_The flower's original intent. They understood it while you do too._"

"Our differences were made there. They would make chaos from the love humanity would emulate… only to destroy themselves later through the power of song… something that made me lose trust in them later on and start my search in finding a dragon that could kill the flower off for good." Rose chuckled. "Mikhail succeeded. Whatever you've done, you've just removed me from that burden."

The Overseer chuckles in reply. "_I think the next thing you'd think of is your purpose again once you live._ _And I find that… most intriguing._"

**_END_**_… Chapter 2._


	3. The complex life

"The complex life"

_Chapter **BEGIN**:_

Rose's life was abruptly interrupted… or in her case her afterlife. She didn't remember anything else in her time in the spirit world. Though she DID remember the emotion she had during her time there. Mostly, she felt at peace, but also longed for a purpose even when her physical form was no longer possible. When she became the Original Intoner, she tried to get along more with humanity but instead ended up to release and create five women of her own personalities to do the flower's bidding. Even when her dragon succeeded in destroying the flower which sent her to the spirit world, she didn't figure she'd want to be alive since she deserved herself to be buried along with the burden of the Flower.

That changed the moment she was ripped apart from the spirit world, and she couldn't understand what it really was she was tasked or destined to do. Deciding to keep things to herself for the meantime, Rose decides to wing it. Being in the Forest Zone at daytime didn't make things any more comfortable. She is in a world she truly doesn't know... and she was willing to find out where if she heads in the right direction.

Knowing she can't do anything for the meantime, Rose, or by her Intoner name of Zero, sets out to walk from the place she crashed from. And walking to the nearby base of a tree, she was able to find her basic bladed sword impaled to the soil. Standing a few feet away, she raises her hand and pointed it to the blade before the weapon moved, and flew to Rose. She was able to catch the weapon by its hilt and handle. "So my power... It really didn't go away completely..." She muttered that to herself when she heard metallic footsteps coming her way. '_Who could that be-?_' She thought of it and decided to approach the source of the footsteps. Coming to sneak at the corner of a path fork, she crouches and covers herself at a tree before partially exposing her eye to see what's on the other side. She looks at two small-biped machinery units, salvaging what was left of a bigger machinery unit. '_Sounds like they're looting what they thought was like them. Are they machines?_'

One small biped unit spoke. "THIS IS ENOUGH." It spoke in a monotone and raspy voice, showing green colored eyes from its simple face with only a nose in between the pair of eyes. "WE HAVE WHAT WE NEED."

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT KILLED THIS ONE?" The other small biped unit spoke. "IT DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT. SOMEHOW, A PART OF THE NETWORK FORCED UNITS TO DISCONNECT AND WE BOTH FELT A BIG PART OF IT HAS GONE DOWN."

"A POSSIBILITY: THE NETWORK COULD BE COMPROMISED. IT IS LUCKY WE ARE NOT CONNECTED."

"I SECOND THE STATEMENT. WE SHOULD GO." The other biped replies just before it leads its partner.

Rose sees the two small machine bipeds leave the area by walking on foot, thus leaving the deceased large machine unit. She examines it while she gets out cover and approaches the unit in question. '_Armored arms and gold-painted. Looks like this had very advanced gears and a system in place. And what was this Network they're talking about? If those two aren't connected, then that means the Network that could be compromised could be a hive mind for their kind. This makes sense, at least. Still... It tells me one clue. I'm no longer at my time._' Rose snorts. "I may as well ask." Rose follows the pack of two machine units and calls out to them. She knows she has something to risk, but she needed to know where and when she is. "HEY! TIN CANS!"

One of the small two-legged bipeds turned before the other towards the unidentified humanoid. "YOU AREN'T INSULTING US, BUT AT LEAST BE CONSIDERATE."

"I'll decide if I should… if you tell me where I am." Rose then points her sword at one of the small bipeds. "But throw me another bone. The time. What year is it?"

The two machine bipeds looked at each other, and both looked at the humanoid with one of them speaking. "YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN THE FOREST ZONE OF THE REGION. OUR CHRONOMETER STATES, SUPPORTED BY OUR LAST KNOWN UPDATE BEFORE BEING SEVERED FROM THE MACHINE NETWORK, THAT OUR CURRENT YEAR IS ELEVEN-THOUSAND NINE-HUNDRED FORTY-FIVE."

Rose was surprised and winced for a while before looking away briefly. '_So this is what he meant… to repurpose the likes of me._' She then lowered her blade, seeing that what she planned next requires a better location and place. '_This isn't a good place or time to ask for more information about the history of I could ask a simple question._' She thought of this before speaking. "I should at least ask. You machines… how relevant were you in relation to humanity?"

"I'M AFRAID I WOULD HAVE TO GIVE GRIM NEWS. IN SHORTER EXPLANATION, THE FIRST RECORDED ENTRY OF MACHINE INVOLVEMENT WAS WHEN ALIEN CREATORS HAVE DEPLOYED US AND PUT US INTO PRODUCTION, BEFORE FIGHTING HUMANITY'S PROXIES."

"Proxies… And what about humanity itself?"

"EXTINCT ON ARRIVAL." The small biped machine unit said this and noticed the humanoid was showing signs of being upset. "IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG?"

"Everything is." Rose muttered this. She gripped her bladed weapon tightly. She wasn't settled on the fact that humanity was ended before machines started to take over. "Monstrosities walk the earth…Unforgivable." She raised her blade unto the two innocent machine bipeds. But before she could swing the blade down. Her reflexes worked and detected an incoming spinning blade coming right at her. She jumped back and parried from that blade. She ended up flying backward in control and sliding back on the ground on one knee to recover.

The attacking blade faded in white and returned by active nanomites to android's back… a YoRHa android. Focusing her right eye onto the white robed woman, she started to walk and be revealed. Seeing the two machine bipeds run in panic, she focuses on her humanoid target. "We might be monstrosities, but we achieved sentience in our own right,and so did who we thought were our enemies." She spoke as a woman who simulated with her voice to be in her thirties when in fact her appearance looked younger.

Rose snorts, looking at the humanoid figure approaching. Keeping her blade on hand, she looked at the pale-looking humanoid stopping 10 yards apart from her. The appearance was of an appearance of black, with stocking attached to high heel covered shoes, a ripped skirt from hips to thighs in length, a battle vest for upper attire, a left eye patch to cover the left eye, and black hair lengthened up to her neck. Rose also notices the figure may have cut that hair so it would be originally long. And continuing to speak, Rose raises her sword to her target of interest. "How do I know you're friend from foe?"

"Simple. You don't see me controlled by the machine network. All they were, before I was completely cut off and cured from a virus they inserted, as tyrants to peacekeeping machines who wanted nothing but coexistence, could have been avoided if they stop thinking about immortality. All things, end in some way… especially things physical, living or non-living."

"I don't have time for this." Rose said it, being impatient.

"THEN MAKE TIME." The humanoid android said this in reply while glaring at the human-looking woman. "Look… I was impatient just like you. When things were revealed to me about humanity's end, I too questioned my worth as an Executioner YoRHa unit. If things like that affect you, maybe you should start thinking bigger than yourself!"

Rose wanted to either make an argument or start a fight. Then she remembered a memory she had… her conversation with the Overseer before being released to the world she was thrown in.

The Overseer chuckled. "_You answered with force, Zero. Maybe you're comfortable in being called that._"

Rose replied sternly. "And so? I've answered the only way I know how… I made a mess of things and even if I'm not to be blamed directly, I took it as a responsibility to myself to end it. I became a goddess… for all the wrong reasons."

"_…even if the odds were because of circumstances?_"

"It doesn't matter. I bear the guilt. No questions asked." Rose said this solemnly, remembering she had killed her sisters, her unconscious creations from the Flower.

Back in the reality Rose had left and gone back to, she looked at the android she was facing in the Forest Zone and sighed. "You're right. I need to gather myself if I really want to understand everything. For starters…" She was about to say her name, but she would hide it until there are those who she fully trusts in this world. "You can call me Zero. If you should know, I'm quite capable."

"In combat, perhaps." The female YoRHa android replied. "Android Designation 38-E. But since our outpost in space is destroyed and I've seen better after breaking out of the Network, I decided to put a name in place for it: Evelyn… an old Earth name I was able to pick up before I accepted my assignments here. It's good to know the likes of you, Zero. I think we should start moving though."

"Why is that?"

"Allow me to explain. From what I've gathered, the shift of power in the Machines has changed. They had original plans to eliminate the last evidence of the human genome on the Earth's moon. But even after I was cut off from the Network, I was able to learn that they couldn't succeed. A major part of the Network was destroyed as the main reason along with the weapon the machines would have used. They now move to purely stand down from this war and change their course. Motives are still unknown, but they could still be violent. Our next move should make contact with the Android Resistance to know their stance in this." Evelyn explained this, but saw that Zero was indifferent. "What's wrong?"

Rose replied impatiently. "Why do we have to keep fighting a proxy war like this? Humanity is dead."

"But YOU aren't, with how you act and how you appear to be. Command has made one thing clear before the last of them was wiped out: Humanity might be dead. Not their ideals. Not their legacy. This planet needs a chance to be inhabited by them again. I don't know what you are yet, but you have your motivations. Though help me, you could find a friend in me to help you in return." Evelyn turned her head away. "I'm a reasonable android. You could always say no and we'd go separate ways."

"Maybe I could tell you one task I have in mind. That being… named Accord." Rose looked at Evelyn. "I wanna find her."

Evelyn nodded silently and looked at Zero. "Very well. She's known to restore ancient blades to their more suitable modernized counterparts. I currently possess and maintain the one that hit yours before we made introductions, and for her location? She's hard to find, even as an owner of a shop. Of course before we do your task…"

"…Yes. I have to come with you. Beats fighting for too long." Rose said it and approached Evelyn, trusting the android. "Resistance, is it?"

"Our goal is the Resistance leader named Anemone. Keep up?" Evelyn smirked at Zero before sprinting quick to a certain direction.

Rose sprinted behind Evelyn and could swear that Evelyn was quite faster than she is, even as an Intoner. '_I guess I have to get used to it since I only awoke recently._'

"_Nanomeister,_" a male blurred voice in darkness of the voice came. Soon, the subject's eyes started to stir awake. "_Nanomeister, it's time. We've been oversleeping._" The man was opening his eyes as soon as his hearing was improving by the second.

And as he was opening his eyes, he could see a familiar face of a man in his 40's, with those hazel eyes, dark-silvery hair styled as a crew cut and a scar on his right cheek. "Captain Sparks?" Sparks only snorted as he looked at Lieutenant, and Nanomeister, Gregory Miles who was still starting to move a little in his capsule.

The man in his early 20's had black hair with a short dirty cut, had fair complexion for his skin, looked Asian in descent and looked to be shorter in height than Sparks. Gregory groaned a little, feeling his head was a little dizzy. "Well that was a smooth ride… What happened…?"

Sparks sighed. "Well Lieutenant, we got a problem. Apparently, someone's lost the official order slip to wake us earlier than expected."

"Early… How much time did-?"

"Oh. Around 10000 years maybe." Sparks said that with a tone for sarcasm.

"By what now…?! Captain?!" Gregory then started to move one leg before the other as he got off the capsule. "Then we're… 10000 years into the future?!"

"Yeah. Someone's clearly thought the whole mess wasn't sorted out by the time we were supposed to leave the capsules. Looks like they were right. The first problem we had caused the second, that problem they had on the transfer of consciousness, and humanity… We're it. Looks like we didn't last long. Last I remember from our android friends… it's year 4198. The last of these people in result of Project Gestalt died out. Even if the Syndrome had died out earlier, looks like the rest of us didn't make it."

Gregory was processing everything from the moment he was awake much too late than he expected. He looked back at the capsule to see how far it's come. "I don't know if I should thank the pricks who put me here with you, or maybe the ones who maintained the capsules while we were in stasis." He then looked at Sparks. "Where's the girl and Primer?"

Sparks answered immediately. "The three androids took those two with them. They're trying to retrieve some recordings, if they're still good."

"_I believe it'll only be a partial retrieval._" ALICE shows her own holographic image to the two men after speaking to them via audio. "Because of the age of most of the equipment that could have been rendered unusable in the base, I'm thinking that some information would be lost." She explained that shortly just as she noticed the Nanomeister was looking at her curiously. "I'm sorry. My name is ALICE: Autonomous Light Intelligence Coefficient Entity holographic image. And you are the Nanomeister... Lieutenant Gregory Miles."

Gregory sighed. "So much pain and suffering and I chose to be the techie of humanity when it was almost virtually impossible to maintain with the battles against the Legion."

"It can't be helped," ALICE replied. "We're only at one corner of the world still trying to believe the ways we left were still useful to us. But all we've gone through was only taking us so far. Abandoning our way of life was wiser and it made populations via villages. We're what's left of those who didn't abandon those ways."

"And our current situation?" Sparks replied to get a status report, just to enlighten Miles.

ALICE responds and looks at Miles, understanding the need of information. "Treated as idols, what was left of humanity later being replaced as androids, you weren't believed to be safe from the world's new diseases following the eradication of the White Chlorination Syndrome. Therefore, it wasn't wise to let you out of the capsule. But certain political agendas also made it possible to delay your release further. And eventually, your capsule was forgotten. And this base was left by itself, abandoned especially when aliens started to poke this planet and reproduce machines."

Sparks then spoke up. "Basically, we were like forgotten statues."

"The pricks," Miles muttered. "They never learned from getting compromises, didn't they? Anyway... I can get the gist of details just normally. I don't need to hear it all."

At another part of the base from the same floor, 2B and callsign Primer were using a 21st century computer station in an intelligence wing of the facility. Having this work thanks to 9S, 2B just focuses on recovering the records in another way possible.

2B was diligently typing on the keyboard of the computer station while looking at the images of recordings of people captured on surveillance cameras. "Should advance the time more…"

Primer was observing the android beside her. "You're quite efficient at this."

"If that is referenced by me being an android, I'm not sure of what I feel about it." 2B answered that sternly. "But if I were a human, my pride would be in danger of being compromised by what you said."

"Tch. Great." Primer muttered. "Sarcastic, this bitch."

"Careful," 2B said as she softly glares at Primer. "My emotions are at least at the right place. We've evolved to a level that made us sentient in the real sense of the word. YoRHa at least had that in place. Being given something to fight for made me hopeful, but it also made me cautious. Ever since I learned of the truth before 9S did, I knew I had to stick to the books and keep going until all is won. But… If from the beginning the machines were riding on our backs, those guidelines and instructions… they're useless. That's why I know how to place my emotions even better ever since I was cut loose."

"Cut loose, huh?" Primer chuckled at 2B's choice of words. "Okay, I'll give you that."

"Thanks. I owe myself all of this… killing a single android for too many times… my friend…" 2B said it softly just before her head perked up slightly as she looked at the monitor. "I got through the first set of encryptions on the core files. Might not be for surveillance, but we can at least find the reason it all went to hell quickly. And… we could find motivations for putting you on stasis in the first place."

Meanwhile, 9S was waiting along with the girl who woke up from the human group outside the door 2B and Primer were in. 9S describes this girl as having short black hair, almost a bit similar to having a crew cut but much more loose with bangs covering her right eye. She has size D's for pairs at her chest at her age of 19 years. The girl looked at 9S who was standing beside her. "You're awfully quiet."

9S was certainly staring at space when he quickly snapped out of it and looked at the girl. "Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something." He sighs before he changed the subject. "Remind me of your name… Carla?"

Carla nods. "Friedrich. Eh… Half German, so… That aside, I'm wondering why you're quiet. May as well try to open up instead of being a loner inside that head of yours."

9S shakes his head. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Come on. You were gazing away from that other android model… A2." Carla said it and 9S looked away. She smirked at him. "A-ha. Found what makes you tick."

"Tch. Maybe."

"9S… Talk to me. That kind of thing you feel about her isn't helping. Look… 2B told me that short story while you were hacking and A2 volunteered to keep watch from those floors above us. Maybe you two haven't talked in detail, but A2 is trying to ask for forgiveness." Carla puts one arm over the other. "She isn't a major talker too as far as I can tell. But she's pretty happy to see humans around after a long time. Maybe this is a chance to actually get her true side than leave your alliance one-sided." She talked and 9S was listening this time. She then continued. "People deserve second chances, no matter what they did. Maybe the psychotic and insane should be exempted from that so-"

"Okay, okay." 9S interrupts Carla. "You didn't need to rub it in that far… 2B talked to me too. Looks like that wasn't enough. Had a human talk me down and-" He had to stop as Carla glared at him. "What?"

"Yes. I had to talk you down." Carla spoke in a firmer tone. "It's for your own good. 2B is alive, after you were rebuilt next to her, sacrificing your technical support units in the process. You owe it to her to have A2 act for 2B, even if it isn't direct. It puts them both at par if you ask me."

9S was surprised of how Carla was talking and he tried to suppress his laugh. He was only heard in a chuckle. "For someone who lived from the past, you know how to listen to stories."

"I would listen to stories of the people who woke me up from a long stasis." Carla smiled at him, though it faded a little. "…even if it meant putting aside the fact I would never see my loved ones again. It's… Daddy told me that I needed to be strong, and this is how it's supposed to be… no matter what situation falls on my knees. I just never expected it to be this way though… talking and androids and socializing with them." She puts her hand on his shoulder and looked at 9S, trying to remove her emotions. She nods to herself as she thought of things before looking straight at the scanner android. "Thank you, 9S. This doesn't always happen. Usually I gotta help myself but… I think I've done that plenty before I went to sleep. I'll tell you stories some time… if we get outta here soon."

9S nods and looked into the room. "Looks like 2B needs me. I'll be right back." He then heads into the room and found 2B and callsign Primer on that same computer station. "Problems?"

2B acknowledged the presence of 9S and spoke up while exiting the station to stand next to it. "Just that this last set of encryption algorithms needs to be broken. This is probably the last block where we find most of what we need."

"Okay then." 9S then took the station and began to type at an insane speed. "Looks like you're right to call me like this. Damn, look at these block codes… They're definitely hiding something from this terminal. Looks like. Hm. Some classified files. But I doubt anything interesting would come. We got some stuff off the machine network that was significant, so I don't know how important this stuff will be to us."

Primer hummed a tone for curiosity. "Machine network?"

"A singular network for most machines that have objectives. We've been fighting them for long that they were eventually making archives of records they pick up from Earth's technology. Well… They even had records of Project YoRHa. I didn't believe at first then… things added up for me." 9S was saying this, not knowing 2B was frowning.

2B remembered 9S at that time as someone broken. '_I should have been there for you, Nines. I fear for you if you really give yourself up again to your rage. Not again. I won't allow you to fall into that scary stage._'

Then 9S found something else alarming. "The drive… Where's the drive?! Plug it in, quick!"

And callsign Primer knew that it meant. Browsing a pocket, he inserts a flash drive at one of the the computer station's Serial Bus ports. "Done. What is it?!"

"No time," 9S states that just as he starts to transfer files immediately to the flash drive.

2B was observing this just as she heard a scream come from outside the room. "That came from-? Carla!" She ran out and saw there was a new figure in front of Carla and the human female was stepping back from it. 2B grits her teeth and summons her blade before bringing it in front, keeping a battle defensive stance. "Identify yourself."

There is a red-haired female humanoid of sorts, bare-looking but without all the critical reproductive organs present in a human female. She was also partially covered by a black technological mass on her body, and this one that appeared in front of the room was covered at the left shoulder to the chest, and down to the hips, thus only covering half her body. She had green glowing eyes as she looked at 2B and a scared Carla. And now, her eyes were also fixated on 9S who arrived to arm himself with a blade. The female spoke in an almost flat tone. "YoRHa designations 2B, and 9S. Your comrade Designation Attacker-type Number 2 is being told the same message. I am a Humanoid-type Executioner Machine or H.E.M. unit 31-Omega."

As A2 who was several floors above was also in her defensive stance, looking at two different female humanoids, she only stays that way unless she's attacked. "And what's the deal with you two Executioner Machines?"

The H.E.M. units tilt their heads on all locations concerned. "The Machine Network Terminals, N1 and N2, have decided to switch their locations of interest elsewhere while they are still curious of your survival."

"What…?!" A2 grits her teeth, angered and surprised. "I thought they were damaged and-!"

"It is not the case." The H.E.M. units said it. Now more emphasized to talk to 2B and 9S with the singular unit they saw, she continued. "Designation 9S, you've also been included in trying to disrupt the Machine Network's existence, only partially. The Terminals however had recovered quickly, but began to change objectives. The Tower's destruction should have been done well by A2, but it was decided it should be destroyed, by none other than the Terminals themselves. To all units concerned, together with A2, you are informed now that the Machine Network no longer considers you a direct enemy."

2B gasped a bit and contacted A2. "A2?!"

"_I'm here,_" A2 responds in prudence to communications. "_I don't know how, but they're boosting the signal to down there. I heard the same thing. We're no longer their enemies? How's that possible?_"

The H.E.M. units responded. "It is best to talk to the Terminals themselves. They wish to interface with you."

All three androids, 9S, 2B and A2 are seeing this as a trap of sorts. But if this was their chance to learn the intentions of the Machine Network Terminals, they shouldn't lose the opportunity. Was this good to be true?

**_END_**_… Chapter 3._


	4. Friends in strangest of places

"Friends in strangest of places"

_Chapter **BEGIN**:_

The H.E.M. units responded. "It is best to talk to the Terminals themselves. They wish to interface with you."

All three androids, 9S, 2B and A2 are seeing this as a trap of sorts. But if this was their chance to learn the intentions of the Machine Network Terminals, they shouldn't lose the opportunity.

A2 had to make a reply. "Tch. Sounds like a trap if you ask me. The logic virus? I'm sure you remember that."

"We do," the Humanoid Executioner Machine units responded. "But there is no gain in continuing hostilities. Therefore, there is no gain in implanting any form of sabotage. The Terminals wish to speak with you. And to improve relations, we've been authorized to assist the remaining humans in their ascent from the underground Servitum base facility."

9S and 2B found this a perplexing offer. It's strangely simple enough. 9S replied to the offer. "No tricks. I'm gonna know when we interface, but this deal starts with safe passage of all the humans first. Then… and only then will what you offer come next."

2B then looked towards the room and saw callsign Primer aiming a two-handed battle rifle at the lone H.E.M. unit they were looking at. "Primer, she's not a threat."

"No way to be sure," Primer said. "I'm just taking precautions."

2B sighs. "I guess it's valid. Only if engaged are you to engage. Don't make a mistake you'll regret."

A2 was looking at the two H.E.M. units there, but several more humanoid executioners were accompanying these two. "Strange friendship… if it ever is." She said this, letting her weapon dissipate in glowing nanites.

One of the H.E.M. units responded, speaking with a more defined tone than dictating flatly. "I'm designated Theta-45. My sisters will be coming down to help in recovery efforts if there were any others."

"There are only four," A2 replied. She kept silent for the most part and was still looking suspiciously at the H.E.M.'s now dropping into the elevator shaft one by one.

Theta-45 spoke. "Call me Tessa if you will."

"Tessa? It's a human name."

"It makes us guilty for repeating and emulating human." Tessa slightly smiled and she let it fade. "I achieved emotion, just like the rest. And just now, I'm allowed to disconnect from the network, which I already did."

"Doesn't it scare you when you do that?"

"No. We're leaving a big piece of ourselves here in this planet even if the Machine Network Terminal Core is planning to permanently migrate out of the planet. For a machine to disconnect itself from the network is to give itself free will… give us, free will."

A2 chuckled. "And I thought 9S and I crippled the network."

"…not beyond repair." Tessa replies. "Though the Terminals were impressed of your resilience. They allowed me to tell you… They're not even planning to blame you for fighting them. It is a natural response the Machine Network had developed when hate was established against the androids in the first place. That changed when those who disconnect themselves from the network can achieve more. And based on their observations, more flaws had been developed on their thinking out of the lack of understanding from your perspectives. That was a major factor in why the Machine Network is ceasing hostilities against androids."

"For the meantime?" A2 said that, still not fully believing the words of a machine.

And Tessa understands while she replied. "If you say so," she spoke while glaring at A2. "Please try to understand our point."

"Your point after you killed most of us. Of course I got your point. I hated you… your guts… your advanced intelligence… the way you moved beyond." A2 snorts after she stated sarcasm and continued. "Though I really think I hated you more for less."

Tessa giggled at the way A2 talked. "There are certainly different ways to express yourself, A2. And you really made me feel pleasant."

"You enjoy this?"

"That's what it looks like, but I think I do." Tessa said this, showing her lighter said when disconnected from the Network.

"Hm." A2 hummed a tone of curiosity with how Tessa is. "Somehow this is a better version of you than the version of you being connected."

"The better thing in all of this is that I was able to quickly make a personality that's defined and universally accepted when I disconnected. And it only took a few minutes." Tessa chuckled as she bragged. "Be a conversationalist to make your personality."

"Eh. I don't think all machines think that way," A2 muttered to herself, but doubted that was silent.

Several minutes passed as 2B and 9S were climbing out together with the Humanoid Executioner Machine units, who were carrying all four humans: Sparks, Miles, Carla, and Primer. And later on, all the HEM's were outside the main building of FOB Servitum first before the androids, then the four humans, the three servicemen armed with Battle Rifles. Sparks then ordered they lower the rifles since their area is clear of hostiles.

The Nanomeister Gregory Miles was cautious as he looked around. "Mostly intact? 120th century but… Come on. The base is mostly still standing."

Captain Sparks hummed a tone for intrigue. "Yeah, good point. The place is damaged, not completely wrecked. Then again, none of the nations used nukes against an enemy they don't understand. WCS just changed everything, did it?"

"Orders on what's next?" Primer asked Sparks.

"Plain and simple. The Android Resistance Camp at the ruins is our target. We're not that far according to 2B." Sparks then looked at Miles. "You got the comms equipment installed down there?"

"Affirmative. ALICE should be able to talk to us. Too bad we can't take her with what we've got." Miles stated that just as there was a call incoming.

9S was able to catch the call and routed it for 2B and A2 to hear. "Is this ALICE?"

"_Affirmative,_" ALICE replied through the other line. "_At least my technical data analysis is working properly. And… The nanites were useful._"

A2 snorts. "No wonder you know some things about us already. You were inside the three of us."

"_It's a natural way of monitoring and at the same time, supporting you. Remember… YoRHa is all but existent. They're just a memory now, though your fellow units are scattered around the world. Not every unit was there in defense against your attacks against the Tower._" ALICE explained this just as she changed the subject. "_The call itself is now open and is separate from main calls you might receive. Take me as a completely separate support contact and will stay in contact for as long as I'm able. Nanomeister Gregory Miles has done a great job integrating parts of my network system into yours._"

Carla, who was armed with at least a battle pistol, was listening in through her earpiece and sighed. "Are we going to that camp yet, or not?"

Sparks glared at Carla. "You better get in line, Private." As soon as he gave that as an order, Carla groaned almost silently.

A2 raised an eyebrow. "Private? Captain, you gave her rank?"

"Had a deal with her old man. If we were successful enough in the cryostasis attempt, I'd have to assign her the lower rank. She's got combat experience and training enough, but she wasn't deployed in any combat zone before. This is her first time." Sparks explained it and was looking at Carla. "Green, but we can't be picky."

Tessa split from her HEM group and walked to the three androids. "My sisters will immediately depart and return to the relocated Terminal Core. I'll be staying behind with you to ensure the safety of the humans. The interfacing with the Terminals can come at a time should you be ready."

2B nods. "That's sound. 9S, you're behind A2 on this. A2, you're watching my back." And as she said her orders, 9S and A2 responded with acknowledgment. Then she looked at the name HEM unit Theta-45, or Tessa as she likes to call herself. "Tessa, think you can watch those four?"

Tessa winced at the idea. "Are you entrusting a machine with this responsibility?"

"It's a not matter of emotional attachment, but a matter of trust. If you really are staying, you're at least to be given a role when necessary. And this… is one of those moments you're needed for it. I repeat… Can you do it?" 2B asked with a more firmer tone.

"Count on me, leader." Tessa said this in prudence.

"Call me 2B." The battler android replied this to Tessa in response. She was able to get an affirmative response from Tessa before she focused on the task at hand. "Squad, loosen formation if you must but stay on guard. I'm on point."

Meanwhile at the Resistance Camp inside the City Ruins... Rose was waiting beside Evelyn 38-E who was talking to a weapon's trader. The camp itself was getting reorganized for some of its equipment to be moved.

Two worker androids were talking to each other, one male and one female. The female spoke. "So these two from out of town, ya say?"

"Yeah," the other replied. "See, these YoRHa androids aren't just existent in this region even if they're split. Some come from farther regions down south. Looks like these two were the last to see the real action."

"Aren't the machines from the Network supposed to be on the run by now?"

"I don't know, really."

"And what's the other girl's story? She isn't an android if I ever see her like this."

"I don't have any idea." The male worker was the last to speak before he moved on with another subject to talk about.

Evelyn nodded and looked at a manifest the weapons trader gave her before she spoke. "This is it."

The trader snorts. "You got enough gold to stock you up. So what the heck drained your stuff in the first place anyway?"

"Fighting. Confusion. Almost got overwhelmed by the machines on one end until I eventually got cut off comms. Pretty hard down south. Anyway... can I go now?" Evelyn asked this and the trader immediately nods at her for it.

Rose noticed that Evelyn was finished with the conversation. "Well?"

"Got the supplies we need, but as I thought before. It really got messy before I got here. Seems the machines are on full retreat. Something about the androids who were discovering the Machine Network closely and how the Network has functioned while it lasted, was eventually doubting their objective further. Still... I haven't gotten anything solid on the aims of the Network Terminals."

"Spooking the hell out of tin cans? Who were?"

"Designation units 2B, 9S, and this experimental model A2." Evelyn chuckled. "So two modern androids and an older one that went through hell. Strange bunch, but anyone who can do less can take any help."

Rose shook her head in silence. _'Heroes made from artificial products? It's like understanding a horse-drawn carriage could be made human later.'_ She thought of that, not knowing that was a terrible analogy.

Evelyn groaned at something. "Now I'm wondering if they survived all of this. It's already bold enough they directly engage the Machine Network. The Tower was the last evidence that marked a direct confrontation between A2 and 9S towards machine attackers. 2B passed away because of the logic virus, so it's just the two of them. Well... the Tower already fell so I feel the attack was a success. They're either dead or they're surviving on their own."

The intoner only shrugged and replied briefly. "I see."

"So... What's your story? Here we are getting things we need, and who you need in specific terms is someone named Accord. You two got good history together?" Evelyn asked this, noticing there were a few eyes focused on them.

Rose didn't mind so much and told her story. "Accord was someone who was trying to correct a set of paths that will allow me to achieve my goals. There's more than one of her when I knew her, so I believe she's either mass-producing herself, or she's going through time just to map out possibilities. I see her several times, before I made my first plan, and after I succeeded in defeating my intoner counterparts. She has her uses and she can fight, even getting my language for the most part while we disagree on some terms."

"Sounds like someone who could be a piece of support."

"I think so. If there's anyone who could answer the reason of my presence here, it's Accord." Rose tried to think for herself, but Evelyn kept her eyes on Rose, and it was proven a little annoying. "Let me guess. You're doubting me even with what I tell you."

Evelyn glared at Rose. "Well I've been open with you and you seemed to be hiding things, Zero."

"Like you were keeping the secret behind the patched eye? Like you, I've been keeping mine closely guarded." Rose glared back at Evelyn. "I still don't trust you fully just as I do, Evelyn. Though in the same way, this isn't just a matter of trust. It's for my security."

Evelyn snorts. "Whatever you say, Zero." Changing the subject, she focuses on it and speaks up. "The trader I talked to knows that Accord has a good trade on restoring old blades to fit in with this type of world which has bigger pests, not just machines. Some animals in this world, mutated in a sense seem to be an example. I've seen my share. And they were annoying in a way."

"I got no time for this," Rose said it urgently at Evelyn. "I gotta find Accord as soon as possible. The earlier I'm helped with my problem and get answers, the better off you'll be." She then approached that same trader Evelyn talked to. "Hey you. Maybe if you haven't figured it out, I'm looking for Accord."

The male trader looked at the woman who seemed to be talking in urgency. "I thought I told your friend that Accord has her shops spread around."

"I don't need to know where all her shops are." Rose draws her blade out but doesn't point it at the trader at that time yet. "I just need to know how to locate her."

"Wait... So this isn't about a s- Whoa, hey there! I might disappoint you, but she hasn't shown herself around for decades now! I know she just keeps the shops running-" The trader stopped talking as the woman's blade was pointed at his face. "What the hell?!"

Rose looked around and saw she had onlookers looking alert as they were watching the scene unfold. She kept looking at the trader she pointer her sword to. "I'm asking again. You have a method of communicating with her, or at least anyone who can."

"I told you I don't know anyth-" The trader didn't expect the woman to grab his shirt collar with her free hand while she neared the tip of her blade to his cheek. "Whoa- whoa...! Not the face!"

"I got something better in mind than slicing your face." Rose glared at the trader and she was clearly upset.

Soon, Resistance members who couldn't afford to stand any longer grabbed automatic rifles and were already aiming at the woman hostile to the trader. They were shouting repeated warnings at her, to let the trader go and drop her weapon or be shot.

Evelyn was watching this all unfold in front of her and stays calm, not acting at all. This was Zero's actions, not hers. _'Is this how she fixes her problems when she's alone?' _She thought of this as she looked at the situation Zero is facing. That woman doesn't even care if there are those who would pull the trigger just to save the trader who's threatened. _'There's something definitely deeper with her I couldn't piece together yet.' _Then she had her eyes on an android woman approaching together with two resistance grunts at her two sides. _'So Anemone's getting involve this time, huh?'_ Evelyn thought of this as she eventually decided to approach Zero from behind. "Hey hotshot. Better quit it."

Rose looked and glared at Evelyn. "Why?!"

"_Because I'm saying so too."_ The woman who had a firm tone coming from one of the androids seemed to be the one who calls the shots in keeping the peace. But something in Rose's mind told her the new figure was more than that. "That's enough. Let the trader go, and we can talk peacefully about this. You don't want this fight."

And Rose only looked at the new figure in question. "If there's a way I could just push people out of the way just to get what I need, I'll do exactly that. I don't want my time wasted. Or... I could just kill him and move on unless he tells me something he knows."

Anemone chuckled and put her arms over the other and was convinced of something. "I thought humanity had become extinct." As soon as she said those words, the other androids gasped then looked at the woman named Zero.

Rose snorts. "I'm not human. At least... not for a long time." She decides to let go of the trader's shirt collar. And he eventually stumbled out of fear and crawled to get up and run for it. Looking at the woman, who she eventually remembered was named Anemone, she lowered her blade. "There's a reason I'm looking for Accord and it's not what you think. This isn't a social call."

"_I might know something." _Another female figure said that, approaching Zero just beside Anemone. A red-haired android with a flower on the right side of her straight hair was looking at Zero, being analytic. "You don't know me. My name's Popola. And... Somehow I have knowledge of how the world came to end. I weave through complications and help humanity and... I lost my sister Devola in the process. This world, though dangerous... has its hope of surviving no matter who inherits it. And I was able to get some small record of the android you're looking for. Who knew that before the two of us were created, the first android who traveled through time would have references in records? Almost no one."

Rose then approached Popola. "Call me Zero. What can you tell me?"

Popola chuckled a little and walked to a direction. "Follow."

Evelyn approached Anemone, seeing that Zero needs to be alone for this. "So... You had an idea she's human?"

Anemone responds to Evelyn with concern. "Instincts. I know humans have their own mannerisms and such, but if she's not human for a long time as she claims, what is she now?"

"That's beyond me." Evelyn replied before going on her way to talk to another resistance member for supplementary information.

Light from the manhole entry from above had shined down on a long ladder case that Popola was using to descend the long room into with Rose.

Popola spoke up briefly. "You seem to be capable of handling yourself well despite what the legends say... Intoner."

Rose quietly gasped and was surprised of this. And just as Popola and her reach the bottom of the ladder case while there was evident light of another room nearby, she glares at Popola. "Should I be threatened over knowledge you possess? The kind of history I got, is the kind that isn't usually kept in books."

"I agree," Popola said it before she walked to the room, which eventually appears to be a library with a theme set for a classical era. "This is my library, or at least I also think it's my only sanctuary for things known and unknown. I..." Popola was looking around for a while before turning to Zero. "I've done some pretty questionable things that go against morals. Just for survival of humanity, I played a crucial part in forcefully moving the consciousness of one to the other, leaving both desirable and undesirable results. It's not like we had any other choice since it's for survival of a race, but... I've lost friends and so did Devola. And now I'm alone. Truly... alone. My existence here today, is to prove I have to atone for past sins. I guess it truly starts by helping you connect with a relic of the past." She turned to one of the bookshelves and browsed at the names.

Rose was patiently waiting and sat on a short bench in the room while Popola looked at the books needed. "I don't really give a damn on what you want to do. All I just care about right now is finding answers."

"Answers to what, exactly?" Popola asked, having picked a book held at her hand and looking over to Rose. "Ah. Now I see. You aren't here just to find Accord herself."

Rose narrowed her eyes in suspicion before she stood up and took her sword into a strong grip. "Should I be worried?"

"Maybe," Popola said, who dropped the book she held while she summoned a sword with grills at her hand with glowing nanites. She kept it lowered and near her waist so as to not make Zero raise her blade. "The answer to all our questions... The existence we have in this world, and why each of us have our aims. I'm betting he has the answer to it all." She saw Zero grit her teeth and get in a defensive stance. Popola doesn't change at all. "Listen very closely. I know who you are. Rose."

**_END_**_… Chapter 4._


	5. The old days never really went away

"The old days never really went away"

_Chapter **BEGIN**:_

There seemed to be a more defined way in keying the term for the situation Carla was facing. In her words, it was related to worries... worries that her loved ones wouldn't make it... worries that she wouldn't be able to see them again.

"Dad..." Carla was groaning while she spoke. She was already in her civilian clothing that day. Year 2047, the time she thought would be another day was a bit more since this would be her first time to go under cryostasis. She was walking behind her father that time, frowning a little even if she knew what was about to happen. "I know that this'll be a real leap forward but... When will I see you again?"

The father smiled a bit, expressing confidence. They exited an elevator that lead to a series of corridor intersections and were walking at one of the corridors with a slightly fast pace. Military personnel wearing urban indoor striped clothing walked at some corridors. There were regular PA announcements of requests for staff to be relocated to some sections of FOB Servitum.

Carla's father made his reply. "I'll find a way to gain immortality at some point."

"But you're 52 years old. You can't survive the operation. It's risky enough you-"

"2 years time from now, things might change. And if it does... Big promises... Those types of promises I told you... I would most likely keep them. And I'm going to make sure that I do that. I invested my time and energy in the project. I'm not affording it fails on us on a landslide." He said this and made a soft groan, trying to hide it from his daughter.

Like one how views a film, time was fast-forwarded. Carla and her father was in that same room she'd be found in the 120th century. The four capsules were there and vacant, and Carla was sighing. And time was played normally from there.

She then spoke up when it's just her alone with her father. "I have no problems with the cryo statis procedure but... I got my own doubts."

"Such as?"

"Well for starters, the technology's origin and how magic is deeply embedded in any of the coils for power transfer still hasn't been given any answers. And even if they aren't answered and the capsules prove to be a successful tool, you're awfully being risky in this, even putting me in it." Carla looked at him, giving him a serious look unlike her previous emotion of excitement. "Is there anything I should be concerned of?"

The father looked at his daughter to prove there isn't anything to be worried about. But he's also looking at her feeling neutral since he's got something to hide. "No. Everyone comes out intact. That's all you should know."

Carla winced a little. It took her several seconds to process his answer and smiled. "I believe you. In fact, I have faith in you. And if everything goes wrong... well... I don't regret things." She approached him and hugged him. And this was unexpected of her.

After processing what she's done, he smiled at her daughter and put her arms around her to return her hug. _'You're gonna be okay. I'll make sure of it no matter how long you're asleep.'_

It became clear that Carla never woke up at the intended time. And as those thoughts of the past were still lingering in her, she had to get mind snapped out from it. Carla was called by name just beside her as she walked through the city ruins. And realizing it, she was called by Lieutenant Gregory Miles. "Oh..." Carla tried to say something in full, but hesitated.

Miles spoke up, concerned. "You've been spacing out while we're walking. I like it when you still stay focused on where you're going, but you don't know if there's any hostile around, do you?"

Carla uneasily laughs while scratching her head. "Sorry, Gregory. I thought it would be nice but... Looks like I was doing myself harm than good after all."

"Don't worry. I got your back." Miles said this and remained beside her for the rest of the walk. "The MCP-18 Pistol. Mix of energy from Maso Looping Cells and Fusion cells in usage for projectile offenseive action makes this weapon quite the gun, huh?"

"It isn't a prototype. It's only being used recently by law enforcement before we went to sleep. I wonder if it's gonna matter. Your Battle Rifles are pretty much the same thing as my pistol. All of our weapons overheat, cool down, and recharge. I'm just given a sidearm for my protection. I don't mind."

"Yeah, but unlike mine and the one Sparks and Primer use, we got sidearms weaker than yours." Miles replied and looked at the formation.

Miles reminded himself that he's together with Carla, while Primer was in front of them and Captain Sparks was walking behind them. The humanoid machine executioner unit, Theta-45 or Tessa, was walking in front of the human group, while the androids were up front leading the pack.

Captain Sparks called up Lieutenant Miles. Miles was seen whispering to Carla before the lieutenant joins the captain. "Miles, heads up. We're about to arrive so... I want you to make sure to spread your observer nanos in the location. You did it back after we woke up at Servitum and retrieve it but... we need data on this new place too."

"You can count on me, sir." Miles said it just as he was receiving a call on his earpiece. "Hm... ALICE? You're on a secure frequency. Need something?"

"_Just a favor._" She said that in reply. _"While you're able to produce your bio-nanotech, you could place permanent ones, right?"_

"Look, I don't know. The permanent bio-nanotech is still on its experimental stages. Though at least one thing given to me was the research. It'll involve... well..."

"_Magic. I'm well aware._" ALICE replied that with confidence. _"Which is why I want you to deploy these permanent bio-nanos regardless if they're still experimental. The fate of our survival rests on information we gather about the new world you four have entered in. Gathering allies seems to be wise in terms of that survival as well. But all is well with my intentions. I have a plan using your nanites."_

This made Miles sigh. "Whatever you say. When we reach the place, I'll deploy them. They won't even see it."

"_Don't be so sure."_ Theta-45's voice, the one known as Tessa, spoke through the comms. _"I might not be so concerned, but I know you have your own reasons not to trust any of us. In the end, you have to. I won't stop you in initiating surveillance and observation at the Resistance Camp. I expect you act accordingly regardless. If that's understood, I'll leave you alone."_ And Tessa stays silent until she hears otherwise.

ALICE stays silent, being embarrassed her own communication line was hijacked. _"I'll keep in touch when I can."_ And her communication line with Miles was cut off.

Miles then whispered to Captain Sparks. "I think that machine named Tessa could be proven scary."

Anemone was talking to one of the resistance members when she noticed there were very familiar figures come in. 2B was ahead from two other androids. "Impossible," as she would comment to her, she also sees the long-haired A2 and the scanner 9S. Not only that, but there was a nude-like female, though with no appearance of genitals, with a black portion covering her body, along with four other figures following from behind. "This is a big group," she said to herself.

2B sighed in relief and talked to A2. "A2, tell the others they can separate here. We're safe for the most part."

"Right," A2 nodded and went to the rest of the formation to tell all members they can split up in camp.

Meanwhile, Tessa approached 2B with urgency. "I have to handle some personal business, 2B." She briefly glanced at a direction before looking at the android. "It's not much of importance to you, but it is, to me."

2B nods at Tessa. "There's no need to be too formal. I'll just notify if any of us needs to move. I suggest you be quick. We might need you."

9S noticed the exchange between 2B and Tessa. The humanoid machine walks off, and he noticed a hooded figure who then jogged away from the area, which Tessa followed at her own pace. Concerned, 9S approaches 2B. "I don't know how good we could trust Tessa if she doesn't tell us things herself."

"I'm not suspicious," 2B said in reply. "Besides, Nines. She's been nothing but cooperative the whole time. You and I might have different reactions to machines before, but they're not that simple anymore... not after what we've both seen and felt."

9S sighs. "Whatever. I'll take a look around. Hard to believe it feels like a long time since I got back here."

2B nods and sees 9S walk off to the nearby access point, just as she sees A2 join her. "I suppose everyone's relaxed at this point."

A2 chuckled. "Yeah. Kinda hard to really say they're relaxed. They're still cautious in a way, even if they're looking around." A2 said this just as she noticed 2B was just staring at her for several seconds. "What?"

"You could... cut your hair." 2B said this and slightly looked away. "I liked what you did... having entrusted you with my sword and used it to cut your hair like that. It also gave 9S something to think about before... well..."

A2 sighs. "What 9S saw was traumatic. Don't take it like he takes it at any other day. You two were always in a bond no matter what you were doing to him."

"Tch. You think I'll forgive myself so easily by killing him? Now he knows that I've been doing that and he still isn't saying anything about being so angry at me... so angry at his executioner..." 2B then felt rage filling up from inside her that she clenched her fists. "I hated myself, especially before you stabbed me. The last moment I remember... is that I was always closing the thoughts 9S would say... at every turn... and at every opportunity he shows emotion."

"That's the past already, right?" A2 replied. "Look... Those memories weren't pleasant when I saw them too, but that's your trial, in a sense. Best you move on from those memories, 2B."

2B sighs without replying. Then she saw Tessa was coming back in sight. The humanoid machine approaches her. "Are you done?" 2B asked.

Tessa sighed. "For whatever's worth, I guess I am. If there is need for me, I'll just be looking around." She said that just as she went to a random direction while staying in the camp.

2B then walked with A2. "We should talk with Anemone... especially with the topic of these humans in the camp."

But as 2B and A2 were approaching Anemone, they stopped walking as they noticed a figure in a hood approaching from another direction. 2B noticed the heels and stockings that seemed familiar to her.

Evelyn then removed the hooded robe, not caring if parts of her YoRHa attire show in front of some familiar figures in the camp. Clearly upset, she shows it to Anemone who was then noticing. "You bitch. And I thought you're playing well with me."

"Excuse me?" Anemone noticed Evelyn acting angrily. "Evelyn, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that Zero is GONE! And that redhead is the last one who's with her!" Evelyn said that just as she summons as a certain sword of different design, before stabbing the soil next to them. "That's her sword right there, and I know how it is because I got into a scuffle with her when we met. I don't really care, because I found a friend, at least. And I can't help feel but responsible. She's stubborn, but soft in better ways."

"Look... I'm sure the two of them have only gone out of the camp, which I think is still unsanctioned."

"First thing I got out of that redhead is that she's smarter than she looks. So I think you're lying." Evelyn said that just as she attempts to draw her weapon out. She's equipped with a light YoRHa-issue blade which is heavily modified. She shows another at her back and currently hovering as a sheathe. Currently with one at her hand, she points it upward towards Anemone. "Well... Are you lying?"

"Look..." Anemone said this, slowly raising her hands while other resistance members who are unarmed stayed away from the scene. She saw armed resistance members coming, but she shook her head at them and even glared at them. She didn't want them involved at all or it could turn bloody. Turning her head back to Evelyn, she stays calm. "...it's best you put that down and we talk about this."

"I know I'm right, dipshit. I know how to judge someone's character. So you best start talking." Evelyn then started to point her weapon's tip right at Anemone's neck.

"That's enough!" 2B shouted this and looked at the YoRHa android being hostile at Anemone. "That's far enough, unit. Stand down."

Evelyn looked at 2B, aware she's being warned. She smirked at the other YoRHa unit looking at her, right beside another with more tatters and skin. "You must be the elite Battler Number 2. Or should I say... Executioner?"

2B narrowed her eyes at the YoRHa unit. "Seems accurate enough. What's your designation?"

"Designation Three-Eight E. I thought I'd never talk to you, 2B." Evelyn said it and glared at Anemone. "Though it's at a bad time, maybe you could help. This bitch got one of my friends and that redhead is nowhere to be found!"

9S approached and noticed the noticeable YoRHa android pointing a blade at Anemone. Then he also noticed that android mentioned a redhead. "You mean the twins?"

"Just one redhead named Popola." Evelyn replied this and still was patient, though the patience was running thin.

Anemone made her reply. "I don't know where the hell Popola's went to, but all I know is that she needed to get to the Desert Zone the next day."

"Are you serious?!" Evelyn spoke at a high tone. She was about to say something, then hesitated on that. And groaning, she looks towards 2B as she lowers her weapon. "How much do you know about those redheads, if they're really a pair?"

9S answered that. "To be honest, I've only known them for only a short time. Based on what they said, they're probably the only ones in our reach who could repair androids."

Anemone sighed. "Evelyn... Please put your weapons away. I really stick out of her business. When she and Devola were together, they'd usually be asking for favors or permissions together. Looks like Popola is breaking from that ever since her twin died at the Tower. She got out of there just in time, but she felt devastated leaving her sister."

9S put a hand on his chest, slightly gritting his teeth. "Damn. So Popola's alone now..."

One of the resistance members, a bulky male, was coming over to Anemone in a jog and slowed to a halt as he was near. "Chief, just gotten through a problem. Yeah, our new guest android called it right. There's blood all over Popola's library."

"Damn," Anemone mutters somehow loudly. "Alright, this makes it bad. Get a scouting party to start searching for Popola... now." Soon, Resistance members were following her words and some were grabbing weapons. A scouting party was formed and they left the camp. She then looks at Evelyn. "I'm sorry if I didn't seem to understand, but let me make things clear... You DON'T point your weapon right at those at least with some length of aid for you. This just makes it bad enough for both yourself, and the ones you've pointed your blade to. Understand?!"

A2 was looking at Anemone scolding the YoRHa android who renamed herself as Evelyn. This brings back certain memories she needed to smile about. "The old days never really went away," she muttered to herself.

**_END_**_… Chapter 5._


	6. Interfacing Chronicle part 1

"Interfacing Chronicle"

_Author's Note **BEGIN**:_

_Current Original Characters I made:_

\- _YoRHa android unit 38-E, Evelyn_

\- _Humanoid Executioner Machine Theta-45, Tessa_

\- _Mystery Man, the Overseer_

\- _Artificial Intelligence Hologram, ALICE_

_Note: The rest are original characters from NieR: Automata. All rights reserved to the game's creators._

_This story is only to tell a route after the true ending of the game, Ending E. To avoid spoilers and to satiate your curiosity, please watch or experience the gameplay of this game to catch on to the story so far!_

_With that, please enjoy this fanfiction!_

**_END_**_… Author's Note._

_Chapter **BEGIN**:_

Anemone had a scouting party from the Resistance camp move out to search for Popola's trail. It didn't make total sense as to why Popola would kidnap Zero, but something didn't feel right at all... especially when Popola came back to the camp... She had a memory of Popola returning somehow intact, disheartened.

Popola could be seen limping from her right leg back to the camp, crying as she grits her teeth and getting on her knees. Immediately, Resistance members were quick to help her up that time. "N-No… Devola…!"

Anemone could hear the redhead's voice, truly sensing Devola's death. Could it have been because the Tower collapsed and they both were critically injured? '_Then how could Popola have survived?_' She had that in her thoughts, but she immediately brushed it aside. It wasn't a reason of concern at all and she knew it.

Getting back to the present time, Anemone had an idea now, that Popola was showing a feint move. To find out the redhead took a human-like woman named Zero, she had to be prepared to feel uncomfortable of Popola to fake her feelings. Popola succeeded, and it made Anemone feel disgusted.

In Popola's library, there was a puddle of blood there and some books were scattered off from their shelves. Along with two Resistance members looking around, Evelyn and 2B were there looking around the scene.

Evelyn sighed, knowing she was responsible to Zero's safety. "Tch… Even I know better than leave her be like this…"

2B listened in while she was looking around the library, opening books and hacking into the amount of data in them. "I suppose you two are in agreement of sorts?"

"You can say that," Evelyn said while examining the puddle of blood. "This is definitely Zero's. Damn… I wonder if she died after being attacked like this. But the body…"

"Yes. Unknown." 2B closed a book and looked at Evelyn. "One thing was clear: I could sense heat scorches from the floor and some of the shelves. A fight took place in this room. And I'm sure the first thing that comes next was an injury, and blood loss coming on just one location. Could it have been that this Zero have been battled with a one-sided fate against her?"

"I hate to think of it another way, but I feel bad for her," Evelyn said and looked around another part of the library. "Zero's blade couldn't have made the heat scorches… so maybe… some of these deep slices then?"

"Yeah. I think so too." 2B replied and winced a bit. "Oh… The interfacing. 38E…"

"I know. You go on ahead. I'll be finishing up here." Evelyn said this, knowing 2B is going to be busy. She sees 2B then leave the library into the darkened area to the ladder. "I wonder what you're gonna talk about, but I suppose I should piece together how the fight went…" Evelyn muttered that to herself before she looked around at the library once more, now with a clear objective in mind.

9S had his mind closed that time in the isolated housing outside the resistance camp. A2 was with him, being silent as the two wouldn't talk to each other so easily. Then he opened his eyes, and he eventually looked at A2, quietly snorting at her. "I guess we'll be seeing each other's memories. Maybe we'll really be feeling each other during the interface. Question is, would it really change what I think about you?"

A2 didn't answer 9S. '_I want you to decide that for yourself, kid._' She thought of it as she looked at him.

2B eventually joined the two and noticed the tension between them. '_Not this again,_' she thought to herself. "You two should stop making tensions like this." She said it and got the attention of them. "No matter how it started, it all should be brushed aside completely. We ended up killing each other, you know, all for the exception of 9S and myself. You know… maybe I should have gotten what I deserved too… for hurting you too many times."

9S winced, hearing 2B tell him this now. He didn't feel any different of her. '_Do I wanna reveal things about how I feel now?_'

2B then looked at A2. "Probably, I'm the only one who would keep him from doing something reckless. It brought him to you, his object of anger. That's going to stop… once we see each other's memories."

A2 sighs. "I didn't want to personally show how my past went, but if that puts the kid's anger aside, then I'm all in for it. If I can't listen to him on his angry rants, maybe I'll listen to you."

ALICE then speaks up to all three of them. "_The interface will allow all three of your memory sectors to be explored while we connect to the Machine Terminals. As was stated before, they aren't completely gone. So all three of you have to fuse temporarily. You'll see truths of yourselves, so that'll be something comforting… I think._"

2B nods. "I like nothing more than to put the blood behind us. Let's go."

The three YoRHa androids approached each other and formed a triangle before they all sat down. 2B held 9S by his hand, and he was hesitant in holding A2's. But after a short while, he reached out to her hand and A2 gently holds it. A2 then finished the circle by holding 2B's hand. The three of them closed their eyes in sync before their hacking programs worked for all three of them, with the great assistance of ALICE.

They all saw black and were hearing voices of themselves…

A2's voice echoed. "_This tower is a giant cannon that's aimed at the human server on the moon. If we don't do something… all of humanity's data will be destroyed._"

Time fast-forwards, and images of them fighting in the tower were seen. Brief glimpses of figures of the anger of 9S came up, and A2 was simply defending herself, then attacking 9S to make her survival a priority. Then the darkness of the void, shows itself again…

2B's voice then echoed. "_Guess… This… is it… These are… my memories… Take care… of the future… A2…_" A brief picture of herself stabbing her own sword to the ground was seen. A2 who still had her long hair was in front of her.

Then there were glimpses of 2B strangling 9S to death, being over him as he allows himself to be killed to prevent himself to be taken by a logic virus. The darkness of the void became apparent…

The voice of 9S echoed. "_You killed 2B… That's all we need to kill each other… Shut up… SHUT UP! What do you know? You don't know anything at all about us!_"

2B's voice then echoed next. "_Emotions are prohibited._"

A2's voice echoed next. "_Tch… I didn't ask for help._"

The voice of 9S echoed next, his scream in anger. "_A2!_"

And smaller echoes of themselves became louder, random phrases and sounds from them are being exchanged through they each heard from the other. And it didn't stop until every single one was mentioned. Images of themselves in the course of their lives were showed in milliseconds each to cycle their moments of time when they were in YoRHa and when all of it ended at the Tower.

9S opened his eyes, gasping. He was standing as he only figured out just then and collapsed, having sat down just to realize his own memories were either probed, or altered… but not in a way he forgets it. He looks around, and realized he was in the polygonal world used as reference for data flow. He's in a cybernetic space that he usually uses for hacking purposes. He then saw A2 and 2B just getting up. "2B! A2!" He then got up to stand, his energy coming back as he longs to meet them.

A2 sighs as she looks at 9S coming to meet her first. "Kid, I-" She then didn't expect what happened next. 9S had come to her and hugged her with his arms. This made her surprised after the whole time of seeing his memories for what seemed was a brief moment. "9S?"

2B noticed that 9S hugged A2 and was heard crying as well. "Oh," 2B muttered to herself.

9S was sobbing and letting tears out. This was for himself to do. "I'm sorry… I don't know what the hell got into me…! I judged you when I was under orders… I thought you really were… I'm such an idiot… And letting my anger rise just like that when… I never settled after accepting her death… My whole world crashed on me… You don't know how painful it was…"

A2 closed her eyes. She didn't need to hear all of his explanation and returned the embrace, putting her arms around his mid-back and letting tears out a little less than 9S did. "I got my own pain too. I saw yours and you saw mine."

"Yeah… Command lying to us? It all made sense. It happened to you. That's what prompted you to just run from it all." 9S was becoming more calm by the second and decided to gently pull away, wiping his tears with his fingers. "I believed it all is because I gathered solid information on Project YoRHa and how they were willing to dispose all of us. There wasn't a way we'd win against the machines using brute force."

2B then noticed 9S looked at her. "9S? I…" She lowered her gaze, feeling ashamed. "There you have it. You saw my memories too. Yours was no secret to me even if it was replayed."

"Yeah. Vivid." 9S glared at 2B and approached her. "Giving me advice to drop my grudge, when you actually were the one with orders to keep killing me when I compromise missions. Drop the grudge. You didn't have the right to give me that!" He then stopped just as he walked to 2B and kept his glare. "You gave me the peace I always deserved, but it was all for a feint. Yeah. I had a feeling but-"

"JUST HIT ME!" 2B glared at 9S as she shouted at him while she shed tears without sobbing. "It's all I should be good for. I hurt myself too many times. What's one more hit going to cost me?"

9S found this quite surprising to him. So 2B wasn't lying about how her emotions went in killing him. '_So this is how… 2B._'

"Hit me… Kill me… Nothing replaces the scar I have inside." 2B said this just as she holds the hand of 9S and puts its palm right on a cheek on her face. "You can do so much just to satiate your hunger. Hurt me… instead. Not A2. Not anyone else. We're two of a kind… always depending on each other. I depend on your positive note. And…"

"I long for a friendship and my sense of reliability on you." 9S was strong enough for what he was about to do. "But if I'm gonna have to rely on you…" He then removed his hand from her cheek and swung it at her next, having his palm feel the hit on her cheek.

2B braced her head that time and maintained the turn the force made. It was painful at the time the slap came, that she reacted to it by wincing in pain and later, holding her hand at where she was hit. She took a little while for a little smile to be made on her face before she turned to 9S, her hand still on her cheek. "What's sick is that I liked it when you did that." As soon as she said that, A2 thought that something clicked in 2B to make a change in remarks of what was thought of the pain 2B knew.

9S sighs at this, knowing the slap made him feel better. "I didn't want you to teach me sadism... But… There's more than trust with each other than-"

A2 then saw something unexpected. '_What the…?_' She saw 2B approach 9S with a smile and leaned her face to his before their lips met. '_Okay…_' She thought of this just as 9S desperately returned the kiss. '_I wanna judge them just by being younger than I am… These kids… Really had their emotions depend on each other… Jeez… No wonder YoRHa's becoming so twisted. They never kept androids in check when it comes sensuality and expanding their search of self…_' She thought more of it as she saw 9S and 2B kissing some more. '_Ugh… These two need a room…_'

2B then gently pulls away from the desperate kiss she had done with 9S and smiled. "I want to give you an order… for my sake." She then held his hand tightly, clasping her fingers next to his. "No more secrets. Let our pain teach us something better between the two of us, Nines."

9S nods. "Yeah. I wish it were that simple."

"Time is the only thing that makes us improve and we've got to give ourselves that. I have faith you'd follow that route too. And someday… we'd produce results out of it."

"Are you saying… you want to date me?"

"It's more than a mere proposition for a relationship after all." 2B chuckled as she said it. "And I'm not taking no for an answer."

"What made you say that? I wouldn't say no to you either." 9S smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

A2 groaned, as the two were at it again. "Okay, jeez you two. Get a goddamn room."

"_I'd follow her advice._" A girl's voice, slightly in sound effect of a flange, was heard. The voice's origin came from a red dressed girl just appearing to the three of them. And immediately, the three androids were in a defensive stance. "I suppose you've been notified by my H.E.M. Squadron," she spoke more in the girl's voice.

9S then noticed it himself. "Don't you have a real voice than this girl's?"

"Perhaps. But I'm not just a single consciousness anymore. I'm but one of the Terminals in the Machine Network. You may call me a node… as I'm one of a few thousand." The red girl said it and chuckled. "Nice to see you again… 9S. A2. And… for the first time, I meet you here, 2B."

2B put her arms on top of the other. "Your messenger told us that you plan to finally cease hostilities. It's a mass halt from the Machine Network. And if that's true…"

A2 snorts. "It takes a lot to convince me, but it's different when one side is sentient enough. So… How's it feel to be saturated like that?"

"It hurts," the red girl said. "It doesn't become consequential and I at least live as I am now. And where are my manners? I am Terminal Beta Twenty-Five Fifty-Four (B2554). It was my leader, Beta-1 who has proposed the somewhat permanent peace. You destroyed the Ark. And I thought we'd be leaving this planet. Seems things have changed. You androids piqued our interest. Maybe we'd just want to leave, but alas… we have to build another ark. Well… Maybe we'd repeat mistakes in another world, so I guess we have to thank you, A2."

9S snorts. "A split-second reality phase. I saw from A2's mind. She tried to clear the logic virus from my body, on the first reality we faced off, and saved me before delivering the final blow to the Tower. Then another reality was made that she and I both saw… She hesitated to kill me this time when we faced each other, and I had to kill her off while she takes me with her. That was the time I learned your plans. It changed the moment we took each other's lives."

"It was a data leak. The previous reality's action to destroy the Tower was also done at the second time. She didn't physically make the hack, but the leak made the hack possible instead." B2554 said this with a sigh. "Your pods have used that to bring you back during a data salvage operation. It saved you all, but the effects of Project YoRHa's low-level systems came to bite back at them effectively, shutting all the pods down in the process. They gave their lives during their sentience just to save you three."

A2 sighs. "I thought something was fishy. So I went through two realities during the data leak."

"I find it interesting you still have problems predicting these kinds of things, Attacker Number 2." B2554 then looked at 2B. "Until we can build another ark, we'll be staying for a long while in this planet. And since we have an excuse to keep evolving for the better reasons you would most likely allow, coexistence would have to do."

Meanwhile as the three androids kept their still appearance of sitting in a circle holding their hands, Evelyn 38-E was walking in the building where they are. "2B? If you can hear me, I think I got an idea of what's happened-" She stopped talking the moment she realized that all three androids before she arrived were seen to be in some sort of meditated state. Their eyes were closed and they were holding hands. "2B?" She kept calling and approached the circle of three androids. She then noticed that the three weren't moving nor speaking to each other. Evelyn then reached her hand to try and touch 2B's shoulder. And when she made contact, her hand hurts in little pinches followed by milliseconds of change, her pain going around her body in a very short time. Then she collapsed to the floor.

Being brought into the polygonal cyberspace, ALICE spoke to her via sounds first. "_What have you done?!_"

Evelyn looked around her platform on the polygonal cyberspace. "Who the hell are you?!"

"_…the one keeping the damn interface connection together!_" ALICE said that just before she showed her holographic self to Evelyn. "Designation 38E, right? You had a pretty vulnerable system for hacks, but… Well… I'm not seeking to hurt you. You absorbed my nanites, the ones I've been reproducing in 2B's body to maintain a stable connection to her vitals and information needed to support her."

"Okay… Artificial Intelligence of sorts?"

"Right." ALICE replied urgently. "In several seconds, you'll be joining in a conversation between the three androids and one of the Machine Network Terminals. They're discussing terms and events happening around while androids and machines would in turn, coexist."

"Huh. I'm just a guest?"

"Well… Not completely. They could… access your memories, if they wished. That's the rule of the interface connection I made." ALICE explained and smiled. "Welcome to my Interface, Miss Evelyn! Good luck! Make a good impression now!"

"Hey, wait…!" Evelyn was speaking to ALICE to ask a question, but she was immediately teleported to the location where the three androids were. They were talking to a familiar red-dressed girl she never thought she'd see again. "Um…"

2B face palms the moment she sees Evelyn. "38E, what are you doing here?!"

The red girl chuckled. "So you're here. We never thought that your presence would be so important that you'd-" She hesitated to talk and giggled. "Seems the secrecy is about to be breached."

A2 was suspicious of the Terminal node. "You're hiding something."

Terminal B2554 snorts at A2. "Maybe I am, but our conversation-"

"…is finished already." A2 said it and glared at Evelyn. "What about you? Hiding something important?"

Evelyn growled at A2. "For the Glory of Mankind. I follow orders to the letter just as a loyal soldier does. Too bad you deserted."

"We're not talking about my past." A2 approached Evelyn and summoned a white-solid colored sword which she pointed at her target. "We're talking about you."

Evelyn snorted. "Screw you."

B2554 sighs. "Maybe it's best that memories be shown about her. And then… You can decide later on if you want to judge her or not. Our business has concluded, but it doesn't mean I cannot assist here. After all, I'm happy to see 38-E again after a long while."

9S looked at Evelyn, then back at the Terminal girl. "I'm missing something… You know her? How?"

"It's as simple as taking an interest in your project." B2554 said this and giggled. "You didn't know… but A2 isn't the first android we were interested in especially during her mission at the Pearl Harbor descent. In fact… we were able to make contact with 38E in an interface. Us, the Machine Network, urged one of the Project"

"What?!" Evelyn stepped back, to get away from them all. "No… If I knew, I would remember!"

"Memories are such important things… But I guess we should understand why you wanted to seal those memories away." She hovers quickly and stopped just in front of Evelyn. "Open wide," she said as she makes an evil grin.

Evelyn grits her teeth, feeling pain in her head…

Meanwhile, a man's red tie was being fixed over the suit he wore. Being in a fully white room having crystallized walls made him feel secure. The room was also mainly equipped with a white conference table and 5 chairs around it.

He looked at a female figure wearing matching black shoes to her stockings while wearing a black blouse with red lining. Having round glasses on, this young woman had red eyes and her hair was white. She possessed two twin daggers that were hovering at her hips with the assistance of some mix of magic and science application, just like how YoRHa androids operate. At that time, the man seemed to have no emotion when he talked to her. "Report."

The young woman giggled. "Mission accomplished. Zero's with her now."

"Excellent work, Discord." The man chuckled. "And I thought your understanding for Accord's attitude would make you that bad. You certainly did your job well, with the cult on the rise all the years that came… well… until their time ran out before-"

"…Tokyo." Discord said it and snorted. "If Caim and that dragon of his didn't destroy that Queen-beast, we would have our plans accelerated, but no. The planet's inhabitants enjoyed a slow and agonizing death instead… Well, at least it gave some cultist factions some time. Wasn't really enjoyable, but anything for you, Overseer." She smiled as she made her statement, then it faded slowly. "And about me… Although I have the opposite purpose to her, it doesn't always need to completely follow. You can use me at any way you desire… even it means breaking time itself. But… You make me satisfied with having me destroy this world slowly. But… are you sure giving Zero to THEM wise for your plans?"

The Overseer then sighed before taking a seat on one of the chairs near the conference table. "You know what's good in this world? A stage play. Though there are those who don't like me, I'm still the director of events up to this time. It gives me an advantage at some point. The cultists will be with us soon, and we'll have a fighting force to be built. And… the human proxies, those androids, and their new friends the machines… They'll all perish. This world will be a world without the humanity that once filled it. If they hope to understand their existence… they should understand that the likes of them were never meant to exist. We molded this world. And the creation of the Watchers? Hmph."

Discord winced at what the Overseer is saying. "You mean… If THEY put it together, then-"

"We'll see if Rose survives THEM. But even if she did, she'll have no choice but to blame but herself… an Intoner." The Overseer said it, slamming the table with his fist, being slowly filled with a tattoo resembling his veins. "Her sins… would have to be paid."

**_END_**_… Chapter 6, this title part 1. To be continued…_


	7. Interfacing Chronicle part 2

"Interfacing Chronicle part 2"

_Author's Note **BEGIN**:_

_Current Original Characters I made:_

\- _Inverse Android to Accord, Discord_

_Note: The rest are original characters from NieR: Automata. All rights reserved to the game's creators._

_This story is only to tell a route after the true ending of the game, Ending E. To avoid spoilers and to satiate your curiosity, please watch or experience the gameplay of this game to catch on to the story so far!_

_With that, please enjoy this fanfiction!_

**_END_**_… Author's Note._

_Chapter **BEGIN**:_

That time, Commander White was in her quarters of the Bunker. Unit Number 38 Executioner, 38-E, was standing in attention to her superior.

38E kept a lower than firm tone in front of the Commander. "Number 38, Type Executioner reporting as ordered."

"At ease, 38E." The Commander said that in reply and she saw the unit loosen up. "This is of the most dire of circumstances at this point, but the probing of the immediate area of attention is just about to begin. The abandoned factory will soon be attacked, and YoRHa is poised to take action against the machine lifeforms there. It gives us a good staging area since most alien communications used by the machines is focused there. This is the moment we've been waiting for. But you, have another assignment."

"I'm listening, Commander."

"The Mid-Continent was a place where several YoRHa units, those who deserted, escaped to prolong themselves in their own ways. They had a life here, but their panicked reactions to the machines being steps ahead of us in the past made them seem scared. This was 1 year ago, and we've counted over 10 who left us. Black Box signals were being jammed over where they were last detected in, so it's your job to track them down and have them brought in. If they resist, do whatever's necessary to detain them. If they STILL resist… you know what must be done. They can't escape with classified information."Commander White was saying this, seeing 38E was somehow in doubt. "Anything else needed?"

"Just a question," 38E said in reply. "Why is it that they've decided to desert their posts?"

"Unknown at this time. We haven't been able to trace their reasons completely… just that they've not been confident of our stance against the machines. That's the closest I can give you." The Commander said this and nods. "If there's nothing is, prepare for your departure. You're dismissed."

Time would move forward quickly like it was a video. 38E would leave the Bunker via the Ho229 Flight unit and travel to the Mid-Continent, known as the Middle East in the old terminology.

38E would fight some machine lifeforms in the air using her flight unit's mobile configuration. While she was informed there were more defenses than usual, she got better off with the lighter amount of resistance until she reached her landing point. What was going on? She brushed off the worries and dismounted her unit just before she started to look. Getting slight support from Bunker communications and acting without a Technical Support unit, she does her best to be analytic before she makes moves. She had local Resistance contacts there as well reporting strange behavior from the machines, as well as sightings of the YoRHa units that deserted.

It took a day to find out that some machines are not hostile. It took a few more to find the first YoRHa member who admitted she was scared of going back to YoRHa after what she's learned of all combat models after the Pearl Harbor descent mission. So 38E decided to get answers from the YoRHa units themselves, even talking to some, while she was forced to execute some others for not only being distrusting of YoRHa, but hostile to them as well... that following that those same YoRHa units were convinced through their own free will that the machines are starting to gain sentience.

38E had a goal to regain control of information that seems to be denied to her… and it ended up on her decided to destroy machine transmitters, meant to block certain data from being pulled into her memories. A lot of weird things, such as her android designation's involvement in machine affairs, and something related to the ideas of her origin and what her function was.

After destroying the last transmitter, her own worse fears were coming into her memories. Her own creation was influenced towards those making androids with another purpose entirely besides being part of YoRHa. Another compressed file would be found as to how her power source, the White Core, was to be made and placed inside a singular android that could have prevented the Bunker's destruction.

Zinnia, the creator of YoRHa was attacked by one of the androids. 38E's memories didn't say who, but her creation was specifically designed to stop plans made from Zinnia's attacker.

The main files that she saw were horrific… 38E was designed to be some sort of signal block for the Bunker… the very station she's assigned from, to stop the machine server from taking control of YoRHa, impeding Project YoRHa itself. But since 38E wasn't there in the Bunker anymore, those plans Zinnia had placed are immediately ruined.

By around the same time she uncovered her own memories, the logic virus had started to affect her, but the allies who went with her to destroy all transmitters were affected the fastest. She was a special android who is designed not to easily be consumed by the machine network. She was forced to kill her allies just for the sake of survival. She cries, one last time after being completely taken by the server.

As soon as 38E wakes up again, she was lying on the ground, an eye and an arm missing. She had to scrounge up whatever parts she could find, and repaired herself. She realized some memories taken from the server reveal that one part of the machine server's consciousness became too saturated, that the virus has lost all control over its affected YoRHa androids. What's more is… her own memories were partially sealed for some reason. Before the machine server took her consciousness away, she had the painful memories, that facilitated the failure to the prevention of Project YoRHa, sealed away so she would at least, if awakened, be more sane and motivated to live. 38E remembers that she had to go to the former nation of Japan to see whoever is left at the core of the resistance. With the machine network saturated, she would figure out what to do next, and her answer was peace.

The present time had finally come and she came back to her senses after the data revelation. Evelyn opened her eyes and gasped, once standing and eventually was sitting down on the polygonal cyberspace floor in front of A2, now filled with a face of surprise right along 2B and 9S.

Node B2554 cupped her chin finding those memories inside of Evelyn. "Interesting… one to prevent the Bunker to be hacked failed to protect the Bunker from being hacked anyway. A long shot that failed."

2B looked at Evelyn, questioning her worth, but putting it aside as she looked at 9S who feels more shocked than herself and A2. "Nines?"

9S looked briefly at 2B, feeling that he wouldn't want to say anything else in his mind. He then looked at Evelyn for some reason. "Evelyn, pull the plug. We need to talk."

Node B2554 looked at 9S with suspicion. "Hm. Something within me tells that you're not truthful."

"DON'T PUT ME IN THE SAME POSITION, MACHINE!" 9S glared at the red dressed girl. "We've done our business here. So I expect you keep things on your end. Is that understood?!"

B2554 chuckles. "As you wish. Though I think you already know about what you wish to talk to her about… Number 9."

2B then took notice of how the red dressed girl said it. '_Crap…! Don't tell me that- He knows that too?!_' Eventually, her connection to the interface was severed, flooded in a blinding white light.

A2 was the first to open her eyes. She looked around the ruined building and saw 2B was seated just next to her. There wasn't any sign of 9S however, and the likes of Evelyn who got into the interface in the first place. "Crap… 2B?!"

2B opened her eyes slowly just as A2 was calling her. And she immediately looks around to see 9S not around anymore. "No… No… NINES!" She sprang to her feet and wanted to run, but someone stops her. It was A2, holding her shoulder. "Let me go."

"Give him time." A2 replied and glared at 2B. "Look… He knows everything. As soon as Evelyn's memories were revealed… Well… I saw into 9S and so did you. It's… I think it's just right. The two of them should be alone."

The battler/executioner android closed her eyes and put her hand on her forehead. "Nines… There's always been a reason to keep killing you… to prevent you… to be insane…"

A2 groaned at this, knowing things like this have to happen. '_Goddamn it… Now their relationship's gone back to the drawing board?_'

**_END_**_… Chapter 7, this title part 2._


	8. Purpose In The World

"Purpose In The World"

_Author's Note **BEGIN**:_

_Here are my 4 additional original characters, those humans who were retrieved from FOB Servitum:_

\- _Captain Julian Sparks_

\- _Callsign Primer_

\- _Lieutenant Gregory Miles, aka "Nanomeister"_

\- _Carla Friedrich, recently given rank as a Private_

_Well… the last chapter took some time to find inspiration to. I needed to be more motivated in my writing after all. So… If there are people who I should thank when it comes to making this story possible… well… NieR Automata's writers and the game's creators themselves. And… Some fanfiction writers who wanted to continue the story in their own ways… especially the story I'm reading now… NieR Automata Rebirth. I'm talking to you, FF Author Akashic Records. Truly compelling story so far. :)_

_Onto the story then. I got no comments for other stuff for the meantime so… I'm taking this away. Oh, and fair warning. Curses here are gonna be epic, since there are two characters in the story who could go overboard… A2 and Zero. So… enjoy!_

**_END_**_… Author's Note._

_Chapter **BEGIN**:_

The four humans, Sparks, Primer, Miles and Carla Friedrich were being useful inside the Resistance Camp. Sparks and Primer were talking to Anemone together, talking about the android presence around the planet. Miles was talking to the weapon and supply traders, assisting around repairs and maintenance while also gathering information about events happening in year 11945.

Carla however was somehow the one who's needy of other things besides history. She was with Theta-45 herself, otherwise known in a human name of Tessa. They were right beside some big boards innocently around one of the entrances to the camp.

Tessa sighs. "The interface is over, but it would seem all four of them have their personal freedoms to attend to. 2B mentioned that they need time to themselves. Their past seems quite… emotional."

"Oooh!" Carla grinned at what Tessa said. "What do you know?"

Tessa glares at Carla. "I think it's rude if you would snoop around in their business. I'm sure you have other things to talk about. I'm only here so you wouldn't touch so much from the Resistance Camp."

"What-? Are you kidding?! Magic applications mixed with scientific theories is actually crazy in the 120th century! Are you kidding right now?! Do you know that the likes of those theories could be impossible in the 21st century?!"

"Hmph. It was because very early in the century on, the definition and findings of magic were redefined, and recreated." Tessa replied as she was explaining to Carla with a stiff voice. "And this is while your race was still trying to find a way to lengthen the existence of humanity, which still ended in failure. The White Chlorination Syndrome was eradicated, but so was the true existence of humanity before they were turned into monsters made from the failed gods of old. Only solid copies of their souls, and those monsters remained, the monsters who are called the Shades."

"Hm." Carla was processing the history she missed. "Looks as if humanity tried to survive but still failed to live for long. I guess that's inevitable. There's only a limit as to how we live."

"If you think that way, then no wonder you've become extinct." Tessa commented on Carla's words, and she immediately got glared on. She glares back at Carla. "That logic shouldn't be questioned."

"It's still offensive," Carla said it just before she went back to the Resistance camp, annoyed. '_That nerve,_' she thought.

Meanwhile, Rose was unconscious, but she was beginning to stir awake. She felt the cold metallic floor, as well as the cold air around her body. What she felt didn't make sense however… like how she felt pain in her body, especially at the back area… like it was stabbed. She immediately opens her eyes and gasped to take in air. She groans in pain before putting her hands on the floor to force herself up. Getting on her feet, she shakes her head to make sure she's snapped out of her unconsciousness.

"I don't know what in the fucking hell…" Rose said that in a mutter before she stopped. Looking around, she seemed to be in a circular room made of steel and advanced smooth metallic tiles on the floor. "I hope you're all listening," she muttered this to herself before she continued her speech expressing rage. "CAUSE I DON'T APPRECIATE CAPTURE, YOU CUNTS!"

A voice Rose recognizes that belongs to Popola spoke through small speakers in the room. "_I'm sorry we have to do this, but I needed to be sure. You are… the original Intoner. We might not have all the details, but we know you're not innocent either._" Popola was heard sighing before she continued. "_But enough the past that helped you survive for a while. There's a reason you're in there, Rose._"

Rose was sick of her being called that name. "You don't have a right, Popola. The name's Zero. And to you, I'm just a killer."

"_Very well._"

"You know so much. So did you know?"

"_You, being a killer? Yes. I assumed as much when the details were being told to me. But you were also a thief, trying to get by with the age that was cruel to you. Who knew that before you created your own sisters, that you would actually survive death by the flower that saved you? You were doomed to die, but you were saved… for a price. The wish you had against those who hurt you, were transferred to the flower. The Black Flower saved you and attached itself to you, with the goal of destroying the world._" Popola was explaining her point without making a tone, as though she spoke stiffly to not provoke her recipient.

Rose was fearful and her eyes were wide. '_How in the hell does she know… everything?! Those memories before the flower… How?!_' "Okay, you can stop." She spoke in a seemingly calm demeanor and her request was heeded. "I get it. You know a lot. But what does that have to do with me being here?"

"_The question I have is not perplexing at best._" Popola replied that before she made a pause, then proceeded again. "_What sustains you, if not the Black Flower? For one thing… you're not even supposed to be alive. Recorded history points out that your body was found along with a dragon inside the former Cathedral City._"

Rose grits her teeth. "Impossible," she muttered.

"_It was said that the only person who came out that time was another intoner identified to several witnesses, named… One._"

"Take it back. I killed her… I KILLED HER MYSELF! I KILLED MY OTHER SISTERS WHO WERE BEING CONTROLLED BY THEIR OWN SONGS! YOU'RE A FUCKING LIAR!"

"_No. The end was completely clear. A male individual known as One, left the Cathedral City. Your body, along with a dragon was found. And years later, a cult that praises and worships the creations of intoners and disciples called the Watchers was formed. One was known to be a very prominent part of the cult._"

"I don't even fucking know what you're talking about just now!"

"_They sought the end of the world just like the intoner sisters before them. They were stopped in their plans, except a Watcher that was able to cross through time and space, was able to escape. A dragon and its rider defeated the big Watcher in the 21st century, but then they also caused the world to be poisoned by a strong magic they couldn't counter. By roughly Year 4200, the last of humanity went instinct… all because, of your origin._"

Rose growled and let tears out while her rage was being expressed. "YOU FUCKING SHUT THE HELL UP RIGHT NOW! I WISHED FOR THE WORLD TO CHANGE, NOT CAUSE HUMANITY'S END, YOU BITCH!" Rose finally had it and she started to glow intensely with a rose-pink color on her body. "Fuck you…" She then started to charge the circular room's walls and punch it. A magic barrier shielded the wall's structure. Then she screamed and cursed again and again as she punched and scratched more sections of the room letting her rage go as her strong Intoner properties made her a living weapon, damaging the room slowly with her bare hands and clothed feet. "FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU!"

Popola was watching this on the screen right beside a very living almost identical version of herself with some ragged hair, unlike her own straight hair. Plus, this identical twin has a flower on the left side of her head. "Devola, are you seeing this…? All this power, it's…"

"I don't know about this," Devola said. "But if this is the real deal… she could be a potential ally here. Sis, I don't know about you, but we need plenty of aces in the hole with what we know about this Overseer."

"She still hasn't explained anything about what power she has as an intoner now. It seems she doesn't even accept my input on what really happened." Popola gasped silently, and looked at screen as she saw Rose who kept hammering the walls with magic barriers using her Intoner mode. "…almost as if she knew different and her reality is, as well." She then noticed Rose's magic glow faded and the attacks stopped, as if she was calming down. "She's calmed down. Maybe she'll listen this time." She then spoke with her mouth close to a 21st century microphone. "Listen to me, Rose. You might not believe this, but do you believe that your reality, the one you came from, is different from the one we know?"

"_Shut up,_" Rose said, with her voice her at the speakers in the twins' room while she was seen speaking at the screen. "_You won't get anything from me, ever again._"

"Would killing us suffice for you then?" Popola asked, her reply being quick.

"Popola!" Devola called her twin to protest.

Thus, Popola continued ignoring her twin. "I know the urges you're ignoring. Perhaps if it helps you, maybe bloodlust would be just as equal to that."

_"Heh."_ Rose was doubting Popola's words. _"As if you'd even dare come. I'd kill you for capturing me like this, even with my bare hands if I have to."_

"Then kill us, if that's what will satisfy you enough. We're both coming down there." Popola cuts off the feed from the microphone and looks at Devola, her twin feeling surprised. "Devola, if we can't convince her using words, we won't break through to her."

Devola sighs. "You got balls. I'll give ya that. But don't ya think we've gotten too far? We failed once by dying. We can't fail again."

"I got a plan if the worst happens, Devola." Popola reassures this to her twin.

Rose was looking around the round room and grits her teeth, being alert of not being ambushed. She then saw a door open up at one side of the room and saw a messy-haired redhead come in view, followed by Popola herself. The twins then came in and the door closed, sliding down and sealing the entryway tight. Rose saw that the twins each carried swords, in which she doesn't know they're called Type-3 single handed swords while she saw Popola carry another sword with her. "So all that drama about your twin dying isn't true. Fucking typical story if you ask me."

Devola snorted. "How many stories have you heard with their siblings killed in battle? Probably not a lot."

"All I cared about was making sure my purpose in my world is fulfilled. Killing my sisters and myself is my ultimate redemption in an ugly world I lived in... or used to live in. The Overseer brought me back to life. Do you work for him?" Rose asked this, at least patient enough for what comes to her.

Popola answered Rose's question. "We know the Overseer, but we don't work for the guy. He's the cause of all of the world's problems as the population died slowly." She then threw the spare sword she held towards Rose.

As Rose took hold of the Machine Sword, she holds it in one hand and points the tip towards Popola. "Intoners and their disciples being the cause and origins of the Watchers... My own sins making more down the line. I guess that's why I'm here... I'm here to atone for all of it."

Devola responds. "If that's your aim, sure. But maybe you wanna step back and gather yourself first? You're in the future."

"Shut up." Rose glares at Devola. "If you think I'd rely on anyone now, you have another thing coming. Show me what you can do, bitch."

Popola then saw Rose make her move as the Intoner dashed in a sprint towards Devola. Popola immediately goes to defend Devola and parries Rose's first strike. "Last thing we need now is death on anyone's hands."

Rose then saw Devola take advantage by stabbing her own sword, by which Rose evaded by jumping back. _'These two don't joke around. Finally.'_ She smiled, as she saw the twins charge right at her. "Come on!" She said it as she was in a defensive stance before Popola came at her first, parrying all three strikes before evading two swings from Devola.

The next three minutes would be about Rose taking on the twins, in tight coordination, battling an Intoner who's quick on her toes and her wits. She's athletic in a sense and was able to show how calm she was, parrying and evading attacks from the twins.

Rose was able to think for a little as she was on the offensive against the twins. _'Something tells me that these two are holding out against me. Are they trying to stall?' _She then jumps back before she lowers her blade to her side. "I think you two should tell me. Are you two seriously holding back?"

Popola was on an offense stance together with Devola. "Is it noticeable?"

"Yes. It is." Rose smirked before she started to make a rose-pink glow around her body. Her sword fades in magic as she hovers and charges. "COME ON!" She briefly said it while her voice echoes in Intoner Mode. Using only her hands, she made amplified strikes simulated from her hands, even empowering the structural integrity of the swords that parry her attacks.

The twins were easily losing coordination as they tried to defend themselves from the Intoner who's unleashed her power. Popola's blade shattered under the defensive stress. Rose's magic was greater than that of the ability of the Twins. Soon, Rose was able to catch Devola offguard while catching the wrist from an attack. Rose only smirked as she knocked the blade off Devola with her free hand.

Devola was pushed away and forced to sit as Rose lost her Intoner mode. "Ugh...!" The momentum from the roll forced her to hit the wall nearby while Rose held her own blade. She saw her twin crawling back from Rose without a weapon. "No... SIS!"

Rose raised her sword at Popola. "Told you." As she attempted to swing it down...

...she heard a voice from a female too familiar to her. "Still the same, aren't you, Zero?" Fixing her eyes, the owner of the voice saw Rose stop, just short of having the blade hitting Popola's forehead. "It's not my place to doubt you now, since you're telling the truth. Clearly."

Rose would never forget the voice that seems calm especially in times when it's necessary to be. Her eyes immediately go to the dark-shoe and stocking wearing white shirted woman who's too familiar to her especially when she was being indirectly assisted in her own journeys. "Accord?"

Accord sighs. "As soon as Popola mentioned you were decided in killing your captors, I knew I had to make it here before anything happens."

"Well of course I'd have to kill my captors, naturally because there was a need to since she tried to kill me first." Rose looked away from Accord and glared at Popola.

"Zero!" Accord called out the Intoner with a more firm voice. "We had to be sure. The likes of the Overseer manipulating you for his own benefit are quite high. We had to be sure before we take a step further in trusting you. Seeing as your attitudes didn't change, I already know you can be trusted. Now…" She approaches Rose slowly. "Let her go."

Rose chuckles at the fact that Accord was different. Gut instinct tells Rose at this moment that her acquaintance had changed from back when she was hunting her sisters. Rose decides to lower her blade from Popola, trusting Accord. "You better keep me in the loop on everything you know. And…" She blushes, looking at Popola, then at Devola, just before looking back at Accord. "…find me a bedroom. Like it or not, I need to get off."

Accord sighs. "Ever the Intoner with all her urges…"

**_END_**_… Chapter 8, this title Part 1. To be continued…_


	9. Purpose In The World (part 2)

"Purpose In The World (part 2)"

_Chapter **BEGIN**:_

**_2B – _**_The past really is a fickle thing. One isn't always agreeing to what their origins truly are. If you ask 9S, he never knew about it until 38E's memories were showed to us. Though she was supposed to be our savior in blocking the machine network from hacking into the Bunker, she can't be blamed for not being in there in the first place before the Bunker fell and leaving YoRHa decimated._

_But would it be the same, if 9S was a descendant, of the original YoRHa Android Number 9… the true author of Project YoRHa?_

A2 was assigned on temporary patrol just to help the Resistance in gaining a reconnaissance report at the Flooded City. Her hair was cut ever since 2B reminded her that she had a nice haircut that way. The Attacker model was however joined by 2B who seemed to be looking for a conversation of sorts.

2B noticed just then that the Attacker model had just taken out some machine lifeforms. "Taking your rage against the machines again?"

A2 shook her head as she walked over to a pile of android corpses from YoRHa. "No. They just want to loot. We're cleaning out any YoRHa corpses. If there's anything the Resistance can use, it's technology. And they badly need it."

"No kidding," 2B said. "Hey, A2… You got anything to say… you know… from the Interface?"

"Well… For starters… What are you gonna do?" A2 asked rhetorically before she continued. "9S… He's pretty shaken up about the fact of his original model being the cause of Project YoRHa." A2 then started to look for essential chips and items from the YoRHa android corpses.

"I honestly don't know," 2B said this, assisting A2 as they were looking into the corpses for essential items. "I only recently knew about my purpose in regards to 9S. I had a data wipe in regards to the incident with Number 9 attacking Zinnia. But I received the instructions… to keep Number 9 from going insane at all costs. No wonder I was hurting myself too… I was told to do something to make sure he doesn't harm others…"

"You know how that ended up. And you didn't even know who ordered it." A2 said this, having picked up enough chips. "This is enough, 2B. Wanna walk with me for a bit?"

2B sighed. "Okay." She nods and tells A2 to take point before she said something again. "A2… You seem a little quiet on… having your memories checked out like that."

"What happened at the Interface was bound to happen anyway. The Terminals know me and so do you two. Well… I even had 9S read with his sealed memories, but I'm fine." A2 said this, not bothered of her conversation back then with Node B2554. "Not like it changes what I think of him. He's just doing his best these days trying not to be too much of a hassle."

"A2…" 2B expressed disappointment in her tone. "I can't believe you'd tell him he's a hassle."

"What? Kid's got that coming when he doesn't listen to me. He's grieving over you back then when we attacked the Tower." A2 said that, looking at some flying machine lifeforms that were not hostile. Some short-legged bipeds were even gathering parts from other machine lifeforms. "You know how emotional he gets."

"Yeah. I know that… all too well." 2B frowns and shakes her head to lose her focus from the sad memory, feeling determined. "I believe this time, he'll change."

Meanwhile, 9S was just at another part of the City Ruins bordering the Desert area. He was standing at the edge of a building that time enjoying his solitude, when 38E, named Evelyn, came to him.

The Scanner model sighs as he knew who it was coming up behind him. "Evelyn," he spoke without changing his gaze.

Evelyn didn't feel surprised and stepped beside 9S joining him at the edge of the building. "Nines. I mean… if you want to be called that."

"It's fine," 9S replied without so much as looking at Evelyn. "I suppose you're here to talk."

"Yeah. We… left our conversation at that part… about you exposing the real nature of YoRHa." Evelyn closed her eyes and shook her head. "No. I'm sure I've seen it."

"It's okay. I wanna hear it from you." 9S said that as he was patient enough for Evelyn. "I'd probably be more comfortable with it."

Evelyn then started to talk. "You attacked every android in sight… even Zinnia himself. You eventually had 2B to come to his aid, but you disabled her, temporarily. You then went on to drastically change the plan Zinnia had put up for the original plan in regards to YoRHa… with your original model putting up a backdoor into the Bunker. The backdoor opens up specifically for the machine lifeforms to hack into the whole outpost. What you were most offended about, was the fact all of us were made originally, at least our black boxes, out of machine lifeform parts. All of us originally have no gods… No purpose. We have no other objective but to fight the machine lifeforms being led to the same conclusion: We gain sentience the same way they do."

9S clenched his fists. "And?"

"…Your original model thought that by dying once and being taken by the machines and the network, we'd all evolve together and believe in a god just like what he wanted." Evelyn then looked at 9S. "That's so insane if you ask me."

9S then glared at Evelyn. "Can you judge that model?"

Evelyn shook her head. "If you ask me, I wouldn't. But I'd rather gain sentience when I find out that our own cause is useless enough… not be destroyed in a way which dooms us all. That's a scary thought enough."

"Shit…" 9S looks away from Evelyn. "This is messed up."

"You've been like that since yesterday." Evelyn said that just before she started to touch her eyepatch. "Behind this eye is nothing more than machine optics. If you wanna see… then…" She didn't need to hear the confirmation from 9S, even as he looked at her surprised by what she reveals. She lifts her eyepatch and she shows a green light on her left eye. "You ever did this before? Because I don't believe so well in incompatibility."

"What…? You had a damaged eye and replaced it with machine optics?!"

"The pain isn't really that bad, but it's worse if I don't have sight at all. I wouldn't do so well with just one eye… which is why I put my beliefs aside. I never want to believe that I'm only YoRHa by nature. I might not have my full memories when I woke up, but that belief was planted inside of me, and I chose to do this." Evelyn approached 9S as her face was two feet away from his. "9S… We've all got so much to lose, by losing our lives. It's much worse… if we lose ourselves. Maybe it was easier when I didn't have my full memories at first during my awakening, but it's so much worth it when I regained them. I found reason enough to be so much more."

"Hm." 9S processed this himself. "Your own memories revealed that you didn't strictly follow orders of the Commander. You chose to spare those YoRHa units, even tried to reason with them as you defended yourself. Those who stood down followed you. And those who you find who are truly hostile, you were forced to put down. This benefits you as you try to find a purpose for yourself, and the truth behind plans resided for you. The Commander couldn't be contacted when you found out she has preset orders for you to be sent to the Mid-Continent."

Evelyn nodded. "Yeah. Project YoRHa adapts to the very point that every android is doomed to die. She considered me rogue the moment I disobeyed orders, 9S… way before I knew she had nothing to do with the memories of my purpose." She then covered her eye again with her patch. "And I like that part of myself… being open to everything I consider possible. Well… I guess it's one part of being human… being unique in a way. The kind of uniqueness you got is probably related to exploring everything more of what's human. 2B just likes to keep you out of trouble like a sister, but you two certainly got too close for that to stay like that now. And A2? Well… She just likes to be a loner… at first."

9S shrugs. "A2 killed 2B because of the logic virus, but I forgave her since I saw something out of context. I shouldn't let my anger get the best of me especially when I'm still… vulnerable."

"See? Growth." Evelyn said in a smile just before her comms went open. "2B?"

"_38E, is 9S with you?_" 2B asked that on the other line of the communication when she sensed 9S join in the conversation. "_Hi, 9S._"

"Hi. What's going on?" 9S was wondering why 2B was contacting them.

"_You two should regroup with us. We found something interesting. We could tell you here, but it's better if you come. A2 and I are at the Machine Village… where Pascal is right now. Urgent._" 2B said it with immediate concern in her voice.

"On our way," 9S replied before he and Evelyn cut their comms off. "Evelyn, you up for a sprint?"

Evelyn chuckled. "Fine. But I'm leading." And she jumps off the building before landing on her feet before she sprinted.

9S was surprised and laughed a little. "The guts with that… Nevermind." 9S then follows suit and sprints behind his companion…

It took an hour later when 9S and Evelyn were walking into a forested area, and eventually ended up in a settlement made of wood and metal, being on strong trees and built foundations. There were friendly machine lifeforms, stubby and taller biped ones and even those who are 12 feet having bulky arms.

9S then muttered to Evelyn. "I wonder what 2B wants us to do. Hm… Last time I remember, there were so much more in this village. Ever since A2 cleared Pascal's memory of his children killing themselves, he only remembers he can salvage parts and fix things. He even provides androids with good parts they need in case there's need of maintenance. Oh… Pascal is a pacifist machine we met when 2B and I were still gathering data."

Evelyn replied, seeing 2B and A2 with a machine lifeform just their size. "They're right there." She heads up to a ladder and climbs, since their destination was the higher elevation. And as she reached the end of the ladder, she nods at the androids while 9S was behind her. "Here as requested."

The green-eyed machine tilted its head. "So you two must be 2B's friends. Ah, I remember you. You're 9S, aren't you?"

9S replied with a little surprise. "Y-yeah."

Pascal was the usual rusty machine lifeform, but while he had the simple innocent voice aligning to a female, he still acts as an honorable man. His design, according to all the androids talking to him just now, is unique from the other designs around him. Having bigger eyes and a more stout body while he can also fly, his design also equips him to hover and fly as well.

2B then spoke next. "I'm sure you understand what we said?"

"I did," Pascal replied this and paused for a second before continuing. "I never knew I'd actually go deep into the values of a family. It must be horrible to think of one's children not being able to take the fear coming at them."

9S sighs. "I think I can relate. I don't know in what way I do, but the emotion is there."

"Putting it aside," 2B spoke in a calmer tone telling 9S she speaks with her own serious tone. "You mentioned that there were new anomalies recently."

"You could say that," Pascal replied. "You see… Some of my acquaintances were concerned about a gathering of a number of androids. They were all from YoRHa if they're describing it correctly. And… It seems they're consorting closely with machines who are still connected to the Machine Network. As what was described earlier, they could either be under the Alpha Terminal's command, or the Beta Terminal's command."

A2 groaned. "This was so much easier when the network was of one consciousness…"

"I'd prefer this latter situation, A2. Thanks to the saturation, the network is able to distinguish proper objectives now, since it's already evolved into a higher state than ever before. The 120th century is surely different to every machine lifeform now. All it takes just these days is the push to a certain direction on what both sides want. The Beta Terminal, wants to pursue peace, while the Alpha Terminal wants to continue hostilities, doing more hardship to the machine network and incite chaos while also continuing to evolve through hardship. Since the two sides are in conflict with each other, the proper term against the androids, is a ceasefire. The two terminals would still have constant debates, and it will not stop for a while. It's also a big possibility, that one side will cut communications first."

2B hummed in curiosity. "I always wondered how politics would grow between the machine lifeforms. I'm guessing it's simpler now while it gets hectic later."

"Well… they DID seek to imitate humans as you said. Looks as if they're handling issues just like humans do."

A2 replies next. "So that's the best we could get for an update?"

"For now, A2. I want to thank you… for being there even the situation calls you didn't need to."

"I…" A2 hesitated to speak and paused for a few seconds before she spoke up. "I'll be helping you again in a heartbeat if you ask me." She said this sincerely, even making 2B and 9S feel admiration for A2.

"I'll take that as a way of saying I'm welcome to it." Pascal nods as he replies. "That said, I might have… something. I'm not sure if it's helpful enough. Do you know that there are new humanoid figures being reported?"

2B cupped her chin with her fingers. "What humanoids?"

"Well… To be truthful, they don't look like androids. Based on what we've known about humans, their mannerisms seem different. And… They were wearing full white clothing, even covering their faces, as if their own lives depended on it. They move quickly between places and some of them who have the power could even levitate above ground. I could easily say they would be enhanced humanoid machines like Adam and Eve, but there are pockets of reports of them being around the region doing reconnaissance of some sort. It's not a mistake. They're actually starting to look around. And this was done for a few days now." Pascal looked from 2B to 9S, then to A2. "Whoever these new figures are, I think they're around for a reason we don't know."

"It's worth investigating," 2B said.

ALICE then started to speak out to all four androids present in the Machine Village. "_Proximity Alert! Humanoid bogeys detected in the trees… They're jumping to… They're coming your way!_"

Three female humanoid figures wearing black YoRHa Battler suits showed themselves jumping from a strong branch from a tree and landing just at the same platform A2, 2B, 9S and Evelyn were. Because of this, the androids close to Pascal drew their bladed weapons, with Evelyn drawing her two modified blades with both her hands.

2B was the one ever vigilant but as well as crossing to practice diplomacy. She spoke first, looking at the androids who are quite peculiar to her. "Identify yourselves," she said in a firm tone.

The female YoRHa android stepped forward and spoke. "Designation 2B. Us three are from the Alpha Terminal."

A2 gritted her teeth. "Damn…"

The female android's attention was turned to A2. "You are not included in the conversation, Attacker Number 2."

2B snorted. "It's my intention to recap something. Your goal is to prolong the war. The Beta Terminal doesn't want that. Are you here to break the peace then?"

"Uh-oh," Pascal muttered this to herself before she ran away from the fight.

The female android glared at 2B before her eyes glowed red together with the other two. "Your elimination ensures the full victory of the machine lifeforms. Alpha 1 is without worry of a civil war." She then summons two standard YoRHa issue blades on both her hands using a mix of magic application and active nanites. Her two companions followed suit. "It is of our interest that you die quickly. Fighting is irrelevant."

A fight ensues immediately. The lead hostile android dashes right at 2B, who then dashes in a counter before their blades crossed by that moment. A2 took notice that one of the hostile androids had a red outline around her body, making her engage that android in particular, while 9S and Evelyn engage the remaining android. The machine lifeforms get out of the way to let the fight ensue, but this wasn't something Pascal would want. So she had the pacifist machine lifeforms clear out immediately.

A2 grits her teeth, fighting on ground level against the two-bladed android with the red outline on her body. "Fighting dirty?!"

"Find out for yourself, Attacker." The hostile android said this while she kept her attacks connected while A2 was continuously parrying while occasionally attacking the android with precision strikes.

Meanwhile, 9S and Evelyn were doing well against the android they're engaging until this target in particular was disappearing quick and reappearing from a short distance to engage either the Scanner or the Executioner models.

2B was engaging the lead hostile android and was the most disciplined of her colleagues, mastered her light attacking sword, the Virtuous Contract. She glared at her enemy when the two of them made a brief stalemate, letting her blade touch the enemy android's blade. She saw the emotionless red glow from the YoRHa android and spoke up. "You are YoRHa."

"Was," the enemy android model said. She then pushed 2B back before she entered a combo, being parried by 2B. "I have seen more with the machines ruling over androids. You have no gods. We have made our own. Androids are being reproduced for the glory of the machines. YoRHa still exists. You and the likes of them are considered enemies."

As 2B listened to the android she fought, she was getting more surprised by the moment. "They're… alive?!"

"What remains, but not for long." The enemy android model then disappeared and reappeared above 2B attempting to strike her down.

2B anticipated that and made a split second evasive move before she cuts the arm of her enemy. Recovering, she got on her feet while being on the defensive. She saw the enemy android land with a thud, groaning in pain as she gets up slowly. "I have friends. Not like you'd understand," 2B said.

"Screw you," the enemy android showed her red glowing eyes, glaring at 2B. While she didn't have her one arm, she used her other arm to equip herself with at least one sword. "You'll die before-"

2B didn't make it hard as she already zipped forward and sliced upwards. The enemy android's formerly living body was split from the chest to the head into half. Blood sprays as the enemy model's corpse falls to the ground. "You first," 2B muttered.

A2 and the android she engaged were doing quick parry and strike attacks at each other when they both noticed the lead attack android was defeated. A2 then saw her target eventually flee. "Hey! Get back here!"

"_Leave her be,_" 2B said it using short range comms at A2. "_Regroup._"

Soon, the androids defending the village regroups, and Pascal joins them.

Pascal sighs. "I'm okay. It seems when the two were defeated, the other one had to withdraw."

"Kinda weaker than how I expected," 9S said. "Though I suppose it's actually not that bad. They each got different skillsets."

"Yeah," A2 reacted. "I could tell my target's got B-Mode. Doesn't make sense to me unless she's an Attacker model."

Evelyn sighs. "That android 9S and I were facing was using some of my moves too but we dealt with her. 2B, anything to-"

"No, 38E." 2B simply answered in interruption. "Nothing about me is seen from who I faced. I killed her easily enough without making her suffer. Though… She's at least calm until she lost her arm. Looks like she can get cranky after a loss." She shook her head slightly and sighed. "I guess I was expecting so much from this enemy than I realized."

In another location entirely, Rose was in a room with rusted walls while she was sitting on a bed in that room. She wasn't shameful that all her skin was showing… especially when she had a visitor in that room… Accord.

Rose snorted. "So you're saying I'm only here just to give in to pressure about being the cause to what's happening in this world?"

Accord nods. "It makes the most sense out of any other hypothesis I've been cooking up. The Overseer is a dangerous man. I don't know his full details but one thing is certain about his goals: He fully supports the Cult Of The Watchers. We've got to be very careful with how we handle this problem."

"I've done well in planning these things. I know at least how if you really think you want me as your ally."

"Not just an ally, Zero." Accord then sits beside the naked Rose. "A friend. A companion. A cherished compatriot."

"You're bullshitting." Rose looks away and snorts. "I have nothing to say about that. I'm no saint, neither am I called someone who takes pity. You know my life before the flower… I steal and kill."

"But that can change if-"

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Rose looks at Accord with rage building up inside her. "I made a threat to the world just by living with the flower. I didn't even know at first as I faced death that it was dangerous. If that happens again, I-"

"It won't." Accord firmly replied at Rose. "The flower inside you isn't the same as the one you once had that made your five sisters. Something different came out. The spirit world? It's a place where you atone. That flower you have right inside you was based from the flower that first destroyed you, and a byproduct of your stay in the spirit world until the old magic's eventual eradication. How the Overseer was able to retrieve you is… astounding at best. You're actually dead, but being kept alive by this… White Flower. You're an Intoner… somehow with a different purpose now. You still have the power of song, but you're pointed to a different objective. What that objective is… It's something you have to explore for yourself. If it's proven to be something destructive and would destroy us all… you have to tell us."

"And what? You'll help me?" Rose replied this, not believing that anything could be done to help her worst case scenario. "I thought you have all the answers."

"This time… I don't." Accord looks away from Rose. "This is my last chance. I've done my best to get the most accepted branch, but I ran out of time… The reality that took place involved you being killed by One's brother instead. I guess my next step at this moment, is to find out what the nature of the White Flower is." She then stood up from the bed. "Whatever you decide, whether you stay with us or not… I'll be fine with it. Us meeting together is no coincidence. Something bigger at play is happening as we speak. And specifics are something I'm willing to find." She then looks at Rose while she slightly smiled. "Need help to get off this time?"

Rose shook her head. "I'm fine on my own. And…" She blushed slightly, looking away. "Thanks for back then… before you gave that artificial arm."

"You're much welcome, Zero." Accord then decides to leave the room. "Don't be too loud this time. The twins are getting disturbed by your sexual fantasies."

"Fuck you. I have to live with it somehow." Rose made that comment as Accord shuts the door. Then she eventually started to put fingers at her crotch and closed her eyes. '_The things I do just to satisfy myself,_' she thought of this before she starts to moan silently.

Rose however was moaning loudly about 10 minutes into her ecstasy…

**_Overseer – _**_I knew for a fact that orchestrating events was easy. But what happens next after I put the pieces in place are still beyond me. I'm ready to start a war and eradicate what the Watchers feel are still detrimental threats to the plan of the new world. They've already accepted the fact that humanity has gone to extinction. But the proxies? If they can be controlled, they could prove useful in reshaping the new face of humanity afterwards._

_This involved putting the big pieces in place: Zero was a concrete example. The likes of her succumbing to pressures of the past or just picking a side would just be enough. Survival is of utmost importance to her now. But would she be leading her own past creations, or would she destroy them? Seems what comes next, is inconsequential._

Year 11939. The Labo was still operational, but the 14th Machine War had already begun. Zinnia was finally alone at this time and looking at the schematics of the experimental Number 38. He feels his time was about to come, knowing it was only two years after his major injuries. He had to see his last legacy through.

While Zinnia was looking at the image of the Experiment Android Number 38, he also looked at the prototype stage appearance of the White Core, the inverse power source of the Black Box and similar in appearance.

"Impressive," a peculiar voice that Zinnia recognizes was heard in the same room he was in.

Zinnia then looks towards where the voice came from. "You."

"About time," the Overseer said. "Finally finishing that prototype power source and android, I see. How does it feel?"

Zinnia snickered at the Overseer. "I'm only doing this because I had no choice. I had to take the ancient magic from you just to finish the White Core. And when I'm done, I'll be giving the android the instructions it needs."

"You could. But… you'd be violating our deal."

"We talked about this! We have got to change it! If she's not given instructions by the time the Bunker would let it in, why even bother building this in the first place?!"

"Let fate decide, Zinnia. You've been holding the android development plans for far too long, and Number 9 was correct in giving you criticism." The Overseer chuckled. "You didn't think anyone would find that out eventually? Humanity must exist again soon. And for that, I still need both of us to fulfill the end of our bargain."

Zinnia grits his teeth before he picks up an energy pistol and points it at the Overseer. "Like hell I will." But he had his eyes open in shock when he felt something stab him from behind.

Discord was there behind Zinnia, putting a sword through his back and out his torso while she giggled as she sensed his old injuries were opened again. "All things must end… including what you think is right. Nothing is right. It just falls to logic. That's hilarious and fun, don't you think?!"

The Overseer smiled at Zinnia, with the researcher now kneeling down as he was losing blood. "Oh don't worry. Your knowledge would be most useful. All the logs you've made and we took would be most useful."

Zinnia glared at the Overseer as he slowly lost consciousness. "Damn… you…!"

Discord removes the sword impaled into Zinnia before she swung at the researcher again. This time, it ended his life, with a delayed effect of his head being separated from his body before his corpse falls to the floor. "Head is intact…" She giggled. "And the brain could still be useful as you said, Overseer." She put a free hand and pointed at Zinnia's head, making it hover with her magic described as grey mist. "Activity is stable for now, but it's best we preserve what's left of his memories if we want to really see his motivations."

"Agreed." The Overseer opened a dark portal behind him and walked into it. "Leave no trace of his presence," he said before the portal closed, leaving Discord and the researcher's corpse.

Discord sighs. "Yes, Overseer. Jeez… More cleanup duty again."

**_ END_**_… Chapter 9, this title Part 2._


	10. The Return

"The Return"

_Author's Note **BEGIN**:_

_I've made a Fandom page somewhere! I've called the series under this work as: NieR: World Revival. It's pretty fantastic if you ask me, because it follows the theme of the world… being dead in a sense since humanity no longer exists. Find MyNameisLennykr on Reddit and be sure to check out updates to my story and some of my planned plots if you like. If you're on Reddit, please follow me on my exploits! I'd be appreciating the company and the talk!_

**_END_**_… Author's Note._

_Chapter **BEGIN**:_

**_Miles – _**_The world works quite differently around here. Since humans weren't around by the 43rd century, there was way less maintenance of every infrastructure here and around. But I doubt there were many androids around when I was looking around. Seems if they make a direct confrontation with the machines, they'd be losing badly. I asked permission whether I could come together on one of the patrols meant for the Desert Zone. And… Seems I'm gonna be going out together with the H.E.M. chick named Tessa and the android designated as A2. Seems Tessa picked up a fashion item... a yellow bow on the back of her single ponytail. Nice. At least she's a unique one._

_I was fine with this patrol, but I could swear A2's really spacing out at times._

Gregory was holding his modified SX4-Submachinegun after he finished modifying it from being a battle rifle, inspecting it as he was entering the Desert Zone while walking beside Tessa and behind A2. The androids said it needed a better input when his original weapon specs said his weapon would overheat too easily.

Tessa was looking at Gregory while he inspected his weapon. "Seems you are liking your weapon modifications."

"Yeah," Miles replied as he looked at his weapon before he watched his step. The sand was slightly slippery so his footing had to be good. It's a good thing he was wearing walker frames. The metal was quite light and it helped him steady himself as he walked the slippery sands. "Jeez… The walker frame's really performing better than expected. Whatever that guy's done to these legs… Really worth using now."

Tessa was walking with her nude-like body but wasn't experiencing problems of any sort. Though she does tend to lose balance as she walks on a downward slope. "It can be annoying at times."

"Well, it's less annoying than when a walker frame is being worn on my legs." Miles said that and looked forward, seeing A2 walk while seeming to climb upward to an easy slope. "A2, you seem quiet. I know there are no machines for a long while that are hostile, but isn't that at least peaceful?"

A2 briefly turned her head to see Miles really serious about the question. She turned her head back forward before replying. "Peaceful's just a word. You never know when the Alpha Terminal comes back to kill us again."

"Yeah, I heard the machines got a feud going on and you didn't consider it an aggressive action what's happened the other day." Miles recalled events about the attack at the Machine village.

A2 responds, having remembered the experience. "Imagine you're facing yourself. If you're an android, you'd understand. The nerve the Alpha's got... Even using making me see they got a Berserk ability too. And it's only exclusive to YoRHa units in my days. How they got to strengthen their android's framing to match mine is beyond me." Then she stopped for a while, seeing a peculiar sight. A humanoid target wearing white boots, pants and a shirt to match with its hood was spotted looking at some small ruins of houses nearby. A2 was looking at this target 300 meters away and was alerted. She then whispered to her companions at the back. "Stay close to me," she whispered. "Got a suspicious one, so we gotta sneak."

Miles and Tessa looked at each other while A2 sprints ahead. The two decide to follow her, with Tessa slightly faster in sprint than Miles is, which he didn't complain about.

A2 was slowing down from a sprint and jogged almost silently climbing an easy slope upwards, before she was behind her targeted figure, 100 meters distant. The figure in question was kneeling, as if it was focused on checking for changes at the house ruins. A2 realized something and was pondering in her thoughts. '_Yeah... I think this part of the desert had more sand. Seems the wind finally revealed these ruins._'

Tessa was right behind A2 who was crouching. So Tessa crouches as well and was followed by Gregory. "Plan?" She whispered to A2.

"A simple tackle helps," A2 whispered in reply. "But I think we gotta make it clear there won't be escape. I'll take the front, and you two cover two sides. We make a triangle we do this correctly."

Tessa nods and looks at Miles. "If you get that, follow our lead."

"Sure," Miles said while gripping his submachine gun.

A2 then stands and starts to sprint from behind the man before she jumped and disappeared. The figure seemed alerted and he turned around to see Miles sprint and aim his weapon, while Tessa was cutting the target off at the other side. The figure started to get on his feet to run, but A2 stopped him when a blade almost stabs his neck, just in time for the tip to just barely scratch the surface of his skin. If he didn't stop, he gets impaled, and his sharp senses saved him.

The attacker android held that blade and pointed it at him. "No sudden moves."

Miles saw the target turn towards him. He points his submachine gun at the target. "Uh-uh! Don't even think about it!"

Tessa saw the target try to go for her, but he stopped when she got a glare from her. '_You will be eliminated if you go further,_' she thought of this, not knowing that might be too much.

A2 took charge and stepped forward to near her target first, followed by Miles and Tessa. They do this slowly while she started her questioning. "You wanna tell us what you're doing here? Reports of white robed persons came in as suspicious."

The target spoke, male in voice and seeming to be in his twenties. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm only here to inspect-!"

"CAN IT!" A2 firmly replied to interrupt the target male. "Best if you give in and come with us. Our friend saw you as suspicious enough. You're not part of the Resistance, nor are you even part of YoRHa. If we can't get an answer now, you're useful if you're interrogated at the camp instead."

The target male chuckled at A2 while the triangle formation was close to him that they could tackle him. "Rest easy... because you won't have me at any day. The Watchers curse the new conquerors of this land." He then had his body glow bright, impossibly bright that he couldn't be seen clearly which temporarily blinded the three. They cover their eyes for a few seconds before they open their sights again, finding the figure gone.

A2 gasped. "Impossible...! Nothing on my scanners too!"

Tessa shook her head. "Yes. And there's nothing to relate to him being invisible as well."

ALICE responds in audio. "_The target is male, and used a blinding spell to get away. Nasty stuff for humans, but he's done it towards artificial beings too. Huh. Clever._"

"A spell?" A2 asked, a bit confused.

"_Right. Old world and ancient magic spells have certain effects to certain things, living or non-living. What you just experienced was a blinding spell that could trick your optics. But... It also blinded you, the same way it also blinded Lieutenant Miles. You're recovering now, but what you just got is something similar to an escape tactic. Whoever he was, he was never willing to be captured at all._" ALICE sighs before continuing. "_Something's going on. It might appear suspicious, but using spells like that? It's not a coincidence to these figures appearing. They're not just here to do recon. I'd recommend you go talk to Pascal again, then get information from Anemone. The Resistance leader also has some information on these mystery figures appearing around recently._"

"Right." A2 replied before she started to connect her comms with the help of ALICE. Making a call to Pascal, the machine lifeform answers and A2 speaks first. "Pascal, it's A2."

"_Oh! Hi, A2!_" Pascal answers somehow cheerfully.

"There's something odd about your report. We encountered one of the figures you mentioned before. We even tried to take him in, but he blinded us and escaped. We got something, but I think it's weird. He used magic to get away from us and he's left a cold trail instantly. You sure about these figures at all?"

"_Oh... Did I mention about them using magic before-? Ah... I'm sorry... I didn't seem to mention about that little detail. It didn't seem important at the time._" Pascal spoke on that statement and got a sigh from A2 as a result. "_I'm sorry! It really didn't seem important. But the reports I got from a scout I sent was that they were also seen carrying some high grade metals._"

"High-grade?"

"_Yes... such as those that are usually used to store circuitry. Based on those reports, they were carrying bits and pieces that form up an old world computer of some sort._"

Miles groans, hearing the call with his nanites. "That... and it seems as if they're gathering information about this world if the info was right."

A2 nods at Miles before she spoke. "Pascal, keep us posted. And pass this over to 2B and 9S."

"_Will do,_" Pascal said it before she cuts comms.

ALICE then spoke via audio. "_There's more importance to locating these figures. It's best we try to cut them off from information they're salvaging that benefits them. I propose your party head to the Housing Complex just in case they went that far._"

A2 chuckled. "You remind me of our pods."

"_I have to try, don't I?_" ALICE giggled after replying.

"Best if we investigate the house ruins first though. We might find something we can use, or maybe find more intel," A2 said just before she headed to the house ruins, followed by Tessa and Miles.

At another part of the region in the Flooded City, Sparks and Primer were with Carla since they needed something to do. They're at a vantage point inside a slightly leaning building, overlooking an area at a distance 300 meters from their position. Sparks was using a portable rangefinder that time, looking at the amplified image of a medium-sized dig site. There were three white-hooded figures along with some rogue androids hired to keep watch. The white figures were using magic of sorts to lift up some chunks of high-grade alloy shaped into boxes.

Sparks groans, seeing this happening with his own eyes. "Goddamn it… If I knew magic, they're actually using it to lift those boxes out. Whatever they are, they're of good value."

Primer was beside Captain Sparks. "So… Keep watch, or stop what they're doing?"

"We can't do anything without backup. Magic users tend to be somewhat more skillful than us regular grunts."

Carla nods with her eyes closed. She was in communications using her embedded bio-nanites. "Copy. So… Anything else we should be warned about?"

2B's voice came over the comms. "_You have to stay cautious in case they want to make their escape. They can use blinding spells if they spot you in any way. And based on A2's experience, they can move through that blinding spell at an unimaginable distance. It's possible at this case that they teleport once their position is given away to undesirable scouts._"

"Received and acknowledged, 2B. I'll pass it along. Private Friedrich out." Carla then cuts comms and reports to Captain Sparks. "Captain, some info."

Sparks chuckled. "Getting used to duties like this?"

"I guess so, sir. I got myself some intel. These figures are possibly scouts… magical scouts who can use ancient magic, but they were mentioned to also use old world magic… and I think it's referenced in the year 3000 to 4000 when the magic was its best that time before Project Gestalt's failure."

"Shit…" Captain Sparks cursed and looked at Primer. "Primer, we can't engage them directly. But we still wanna cause havoc and take them… non-lethal. Well… At least one of them's enough."

Primer nods. "Yeah, I got what you mean. Hope my plan works then."

"Yeah. Not like we got any other choice. Primer, Friedrich, you two are roping down there. Time I test my sniping skills again." Sparks then gets his multi-purpose Battle Rifle, now equipped with scoped sights.

2B was walking with Evelyn beside her. The two of them were heading for the crater where the Tower used to be directly over of inside the City Ruins. This was when they encountered a peculiar sound of a small motorcycle engine coming from a zooming tricycle of sorts, with its front attached with a round skull plate, with a smile on its mouth. She recognizes the figure and calls out. "Emil!"

Then, Emil rode up to where 2B and Evelyn were and stopped just in front of the androids. "Hey there, um… Who's the other one?"

"Sorry… This is Designation 38E. But she prefers to be called Evelyn." 2B introduces Emil to Evelyn, the latter being nervous around this strange tricycle-looking fellow with a weird round plate. 2B notices Evelyn's nervousness. "Evelyn, he's a friend."

Evelyn silently groaned, feeling uneasy as she looked at Emil. "What… are you?"

"Huh?" Emil wondered about Evelyn's statement. "I don't know what you want, but I'm not hostile, nor am I a machine. I used to be the planet's good guy working with magic… until I got split up and such. I'm just around helping people here while I can." Then Emil focused on 2B. "So how's A2?"

"Fine," 2B replied. "Why are you asking about her?"

"I just felt something familiar with how she spoke to me when that Tower was still up. Just wanted to let you know." Emil said that before he changed the subject. "Hey, are you two heading for that crater? I saw it's where most of the Tower's core landed in and it's full of white parts already."

"That's the plan," Evelyn replied. "I needed to check on something. Ever since that Tower had come down and these new people started to get noticed, I couldn't get this feeling out of me that something from that structure seems to be of importance to our new friends. If they salvage the remainder of the machine's data from that structure, that faction could find itself propelled beyond all measure on information. I mean… The Machine Network has knowledge of Project Gestalt."

Emil was heard gasping and was silent as he crawled into his thoughts. '_Wait… She doesn't mean-_'

2B hummed in curiosity. "Emil, I might need a few things." She then puts up her hand and shows a small holographic image of G currency.

"Oh! Right!" Emil said, being glad that trading has happened again.

After a few minutes, the transaction was finished.

Evelyn then noticed 2B handed over some chips. As Evelyn examined it, she smiled. "Good. Gonna need Overclock to keep me high on reflex." She then raised her arm and opened a dimensional port for the enhancement chips. She only looked at the operational chips and optimized its arrangement before she placed her new Overclock chip in the port. Closing the port, she chuckles. "Oh yeah… Party time."

Emil sighs. "Evelyn… Something about Project Gestalt… Let's just say that even if there were chances humanity could survive… one thing I've learned… is that there isn't a good way to extend humanity's life without sacrificing morals. All I was thinking about back then… I guess you can say I've seen loved ones being taken far away from each other. When they are so close in finding one another… Well…" He was heard sniffling, as if he was crying.

2B noticed that herself. "Are you crying?"

"U-um…!" Emil got in attention and was heard sniffling once before breathing. "No, it's nothing! Glad we got the chance to trade again! See ya!" And then Emil started his engines before zooming to a random direction not toward the crater.

2B groans, looking at Evelyn. "We met him while we were investigating the shopping center near the Forest Zone. Let's just say… his story includes losing his sense of self. He'd been cloning himself during the alien invasion and was stopping the invaders from wreaking more havoc in the planet. He doesn't have all his memories, but I'm surprised he remembered a few things from the Project."

Evelyn shrugged. "Maybe he was a part of it."

"Don't be too sure. If he was, then he wouldn't have been found in the pages of history then," 2B replied. "Let's go."

2B and Evelyn proceed to the City Ruins crater. They stopped It was the same crater that was made between a large Engel unit and the structure below it. It was the final place where Eve made his last stand. And just nearby was a cave-in where the pathway to the alien motherships should be located. There was a lot of Tower debris mostly made of silicon, though some are metallic.

Taking the lead and jumped down, skipping on building ruins as she descended, she noticed there were changes in the environment of the crater since she last got there… The entrance to the Tower was there, but heavily damaged. There was no use of it, along with the three sub-units that serve as locks, mostly needing a key for each that 9S had successfully used for him to get inside with the help of the twins.

Evelyn finally jumped to the ground next to 2B. She knew that 2B was there for the next 15 seconds, but the Battler/Executioner was staring at one place… the middle of the crater. "2B?"

2B noticed Evelyn called. "Oh."

"You okay?"

"If by okay, you mean optimum, then I don't know." 2B closes her eyes, remembering events that happened to her. "This was where Eve made his last stand. 9S told me about what Eve was thinking and it made me convinced since there was so much emotion from him after I took down Adam. I had to rescue 9S since he was heavily injured and needed attention. I…" 2B shook her head, refusing to say more. But then, she needed to blurt out something before she regrets staying with her silence. "9S should have died by himself. We were both selfish. He wanted me to kill him. I wanted him to live. But his wish came first." She shed tears, expressing her sadness. "That moment really broke me… I kept protecting him from going insane, but I protected him from the pain he's received… It hurts."

Evelyn then looked around while 2B was contemplating on the past, knowing the girl had gone through so much. "Knowing you, I think you're responsible enough for your actions, 2B. 9S? I'm not so sure. He's the cause of your pain, but you keep cuddling him."

2B suddenly looked at Evelyn in a glare before she hovered in a dash and put her hand around the Executioner's neck, gritting her teeth in anger. "Of course I'm cuddling him, damn you. He was a missing piece of myself I wished I had! Do you know how difficult it was to restrain myself from revealing my true feelings? It was difficult for me… and why it was easier to tell him that we shouldn't have any secrets between us again."

That memory of them from the Interface with B2554 came as a reminder. 2B wanted to forget the pain and kissed 9S, making their relationship official.

Evelyn tapped 2B's wrist, signaling the Battler/Executioner that she gets the point. When she was let go, she saw 2B wiping her own tears away with her uniform. "Look, 2B…"

"…no. You look. Wretch." 2B maintains her rage, even if her tone was calmer. "Maybe it's my only way of expressing myself, but I'm broken, Evelyn. I can't heal just so easily. Time… It may be the only solution. Or… I could take the easier way out if he prefers… just to stop making me suffer. But that would be a poor move from my part." 2B looks away, deciding to drop her rage. "I'm sorry, Evelyn. I shouldn't have done that to you."

Evelyn chuckled at this, feeling her neck with one hand. "We haven't really settled on a good relationship. I think it's nice you've done that. Plus… It's progress for you."

"No kidding," 2B smiled a little before she looked towards the distant entrance of the Tower. "Hey, we should check out there… see if ALICE can analyze the extent of the damage."

ALICE responds via audio. "_Very good. Get yourself close and I'll deploy my nanites to scan all over the structure for all its internal circuitry._"

2B and Evelyn went to the damaged Tower entrance, going past silicon and metallic debris just before they arrived. And soon enough, 2B felt a little lighter for some reason. The invisibility of the fast-acting nanites is astounding to her, acting in tandem with most of her technology.

After waiting for a few minutes, ALICE makes a report via audio to Evelyn and 2B. "_Scan complete. The structure is mostly inoperable by now… but there's one thing I noticed. The internal circuitry residing within the structure is amazing… bio-fibers were used to keep everything in sync as a system. Data exchange between rooms and other essential systems should be phenomenal at the moment. But there's also a protocol for residual data to be cleared from the databanks at the time of its destruction. None of the circuitry scanned in this crater contains any residual data either. I'm sorry… But we've come to a dead end in terms of information gathering here._"

"Damn," Evelyn cursed in a whisper. "Sorry, 2B."

2B shook her head. "There's nothing to apologize for, 38E. It's come to this eventually. ALICE, do you think we could still try the copied city?"

"_It's worth a try._" ALICE responded. "_Though it could also come to the same conclusion. But if that's not stopping you, I marked a location. Same as before if you still remember the way._"

At that time, 9S was examining a mix of machine and YoRHa android corpses in the Desert Zone area, the Housing Complex. "Damn," he muttered this to himself as he noticed A2's party coming his way.

A2 nods at 9S. "Did you do this?"

9S groans. "I had to defend myself. It was a mix of machines and YoRHa that came after me. Thing is... I doubt I'd see these unique android models before though."

Tessa inspects the android corpses. "Your clothing line has its own standard. These YoRHa units don't follow that standard."

Miles scoffed. "I don't like it."

9S nods at what Miles said. "They're only wearing regular clothing like what Resistance members wear. Seems they were salvaging some from patrols." He shook his head before he changed the subject. "That's not what I'm here for. I scouted ahead to this area. I spotted suspicious figures in one the buildings. A2, you were right. Right hooded figures. Two of them were digging out a metallic box."

A2 nods. "Good. While don't have enough manpower to intercept them all, we could at least find some answers. We have to."

Earlier, 2B and Evelyn were able to arrive in the copied city. While it wasn't completely destroyed, some stone walls have become evident. The silicon-based city still had its structures intact, but some with temporary cube placements have collapsed. It then brought them to the conclusion that some ruins were present.

Evelyn walked with 2B even to that wide space where the fight between 2B and Adam had taken place. "So this was the spot."

2B nods. "9S was telling me a few things… about this place… and about Adam. And… The twisted emotion between lust and bloodlust… It screams within him. Adam really opened Nines up to the point he would almost go crazy for even finding it as true. I found him wounded and impaled on a couple of silicon stakes while he was still alive. And Adam… he just made me feel angry, as if he wanted me to feel that way."

Evelyn listens intently at 2B's story. '_Damn this lady really went through hell… Eh… I shouldn't call her a lady. She isn't old, or is she?_'

2B sighs before she changed the subject. "ALICE, any luck this time?"

ALICE responds via audio to 2B and Evelyn. "_I have a beat. Stand by…_" She paused for a moment before she continued. "_Okay, this'll be a head scratcher._"

Evelyn groans, hearing this from ALICE. "Oh here we go…"

"_Okay, the data I got is freshly put into the internal circuitry. It acts as residual data, but it was intended to be found. Here it is: The Cult Of The Watchers were embedded into the main teams who kept the Project Gestalt afloat, changing objectives each time as humanity keeps improving upon itself. Their plans changed when the Project failed, and they noticed their numbers were mysteriously disappearing. It doesn't say how, but the freshly put data in this place? This isn't just speculation, but it's supposed to make your gut feel bad about this._"

2B grits her teeth. "You're right."

The two androids were surrounded by portals being opened around them. The two put their backs lying on each other as they both armed themselves with their swords, 2B having one and Evelyn holding two. 9 white hooded figures surrounded the two androids, with four of them not wearing masks to cover their faces in full.

As the portals closed, one of the hooded figures spoke. "You stand in the dominion of the Cult Of The Watchers. We thought you wouldn't figure out our puzzle. It seems I was right. You androids are much more advanced than we hoped. Good. We need a challenge."

2B narrows her eyes and whispers at Evelyn. "They're not who I think they are, are they?"

"I know," Evelyn whispers in reply. "Human. And I think these are the actual cultists ALICE said…"

**_2B – _**_The world really works differently. In fact… it works in a whole different way… as it's introduced to even stranger threats…_

**_END_**_… Chapter 10, this title part 1. To be continued…_


End file.
